Author/Authors :
Damian Ila، Agom, نويسنده Deptartment of Agric Economics, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. , , Ben Ohen، Susan نويسنده Deptartment of Agric Economics, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. , , Okoi Itam، Kingsley نويسنده Deptartment of Agric Economics, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. , , N. Inyang، Nyambi نويسنده Commercial Agric Development Project (CADP), Cross River State, Nigeria. ,
Abstract :
The technical efficiency involved in cocoa production in
Cross River State was estimated using the stochastic frontier
production function analysis. The effects of some selected socio-
economic characteristics of the farmers on the efficiency
indices were also estimated. The study relied upon primary data
generated from interviewing cocoa farmers using a set of
structured questionnaire. A multi-staged random sampling technique
was adopted in selecting two hundred (200) cocoa farmers
from Ikom Agricultural Zone in the state. The data on the socioeconomic
characteristics of the farmers were analyzed using
descriptive statistics, while the stochastic production function,
using the Maximum Likelihood Estimating (MLE) techniques
was used in estimating the farmer’s technical efficiency and
their determinants. Result of the analysis showed that farmers
were experiencing decreasing but positive returns to scale in the
use of the farm resources. The efficiency level ranged between
0.20 and 0.93 with a mean of 0.69. The result of the generalized
Likelihood Ratio (LR) tests confirmed that the cocoa farmers in
the area were technically inefficient. The major contributing
factors to efficiency were age of farmers, farm size, level of education,
sex of farmer and age of the farms. The study observed
that there is enough room to improve efficiency with the
farmers’ current resource base and available technology and
concluded that policies that would directly affect these identified
variables should be pursued.
