ABSTRACT

 The study examined the patterns o [savings and investment among one hundred and twenty agribusiness producing Cairn firm operators in Abia slate. 'lime agribusiness farni firms in the slate as noted opeiates in environment characterized by low output, low productivity, low savings and investment and are at subsistence level. It is based on the above fact that this study was conducted. the importance ofstudyimig savings and investment patterns of cooperative agribusiness producing farm firms in the state would not only help us to examine the existing income levels, hut would also enable us to estimate the determinants of savings and iii vestment of cooperative agribusiness in the stale. l)ata for hi is were collected using structured questionnaire and were also analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. Resu Its From the analysis revealed that cooperative agribusiness farm firms in Abi a state are mostly a husiiiess of' lime male and I iterates. '[lie result also revealed that cooperative agribusiness J)J ()dticiiig Iamrn ii rmns' l)attenl of savings and investment increases as imicumlie immcuea:;c-.. I ?owcvei, time timiavailability aiid miiadeqiiacy of ci'cdit WaS lime mnaor Plo[) clii o Fthe am business firms iii the state. An econometric analysis of related data UflVC di mcn t actors which iii ii uenced cooperative agri I)usmness Savings amid investment as well as their loan repayment. On the side of savings and investment, age, interest rate, household size, income, education, amount of' money borrowed and the duration of loan repayment were sigiii ficant variables that ill II uence savings and investment. More so, amount received the previous year, firm size and administrative cost were significant variables that affect loan repayment. In view of' tins, I therefore recommend that the government, inch viduals and corpoi-ate bodies should consider these variables in designing strategies aimed at improving the savings and investment patterns of cooperative agribusiness producing farm firms as well as the loan repayment in the state.