Farm Business Planning Practices Among Agro-Allied Enterprises in Enugu State

Effective business planning is a cornerstone of agribusiness sustainability and growth, enabling enterprises to set realistic financial targets, manage resources systematically, and navigate market uncertainties. In Enugu State, in Nigeria's South East geopolitical zone, agro-allied enterprises including feed mills, crop processing firms, and integrated farms occupy an important economic space, yet their adoption of formal business planning remains largely undocumented. This study examines farm business planning practices among agro-allied enterprises in Enugu State and their relationship to enterprise performance outcomes. A sample of 55 agro-allied enterprises was selected through purposive and snowball sampling from Enugu, Awgu, and Oji-River areas. Structured interviews and enterprise document reviews were used to assess the completeness and frequency of business planning, covering market analysis, production scheduling, financial projections, and risk assessment. Enterprise performance was proxied by three-year revenue growth and staff retention rates. Descriptive statistics and Spearman rank correlation were applied. Results indicate that only 38 percent of enterprises prepare comprehensive written business plans, with many operating from informal mental plans or basic cash flow records. A significant positive correlation was found between planning completeness and revenue growth. Enterprises that received business planning support from a development partner recorded notably stronger performance trajectories. The study recommends government provision of business planning advisory services through agricultural development programme offices in Enugu and the integration of agribusiness planning modules into PGD agricultural management curricula. Keywords: business planning, agro-allied enterprises, Enugu State, enterprise performance, agribusiness management