This study examined the scale efficiency of rice production among beneficiaries of anchor borrowers programme (ABP) in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling was employed to select respondents for the study. Structured questionnaires were the instruments used for data collection. A sample of 139 farmers was used for the study. Percentages, means, frequency, ranking, and data envelopment analysis were the analytical tools employed. The results of the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents revealed that the majority (76.3%) of them was headed by males; most (61.1%) were within the ages of 21-40 years. Results from the data envelopment analysis showed that mean scale efficiency observed was 59%, out of the rice farms studied; 78% were scale inefficient as they operated under increased return to scale (IRS) and decreased return to scale (DRS) assumptions and therefore, operated at stage I and stage III of the production process, respectively. The major constraints faced by rice farmers in the study area were identified among others to be prevalence of pests and diseases, bad roads, and high cost of labour. Finally, it was recommended among others that policies geared towards investment in pest and disease control, good access roads to farms and means of transport towards achieving effective productivity and scale efficiency should be formulated.
This study examined the economics of rice production among beneficiaries of the anchor borrowers programme (ABP) in Gerie LGA of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling was employed to select respondents for the study. Structured questionnaires were the instruments used for data collection. A sample of 85 farmers was used for the study. Percentages, means, frequency, maximum, minimum, budgetary techniques and stochastic frontier production function were the analytical tools employed. The results of the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents revealed that the majority (76%) of the farmers was headed by males; most (72.8%) were within the age range of 30 – 49 years and majority (90%) were married. Results from the budgetary techniques showed that the gross margin per hectare was ₦75,087.4 indicating production of rice among the farmers is profitable since the gross margin estimated has a positive value. The result also showed that mean economic efficiency (EE) recorded was 0.67 (67%), with maximum of 0.94 (94%) and a minimum EE of 0.34 (34%) indicating that the respondents are not fully economically efficient in rice production in the study area. The major constraints faced by rice farmers in the study area were identified among others to be inadequate credit, limited farm size and high cost of transportation. Finally, it was recommended among others that policies geared towards investment in credit, land tenue and means of transportation towards achieving effective production should be formulated.
Rice production in Nigeria has always been dominated by small scale farmers using traditional crude methods which are inefficient, resulting in low yield. Various measures have been taken by the government to improve rice production with the view of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production for consumption as well as export. Despite these measures, rice has not been sufficiently produced to meet the demand of the growing population in Adamawa State. So many problems might have contributed to this, which could be due to lack of adaptable rice varieties and low level of productivity of resources used by the rice farmers among others. Recently, the federal government introduced the anchor borrowers programme (ABP) with the goal of helping rice farmers to achieve desired output using improved production resources. This paper examined rice productivity and factors affecting rice farmers’ productivity among beneficiaries of anchor borrowers programme in Adamawa State, Nigeria. A multistage random sampling procedure was used in selecting the respondents. A structured questionnaire is administered to 139 farmers spread across 3 Local Government Areas to obtain information on farmer’s socio-economic variables, inputs used and output obtained in rice production. The objectives were analyzed using descriptive statistics, data envelopment analysis and OLS regression. The DEA result for level of productivity revealed that the average technical efficiency of 0.71, a minimum of 0.02 and a maximum of 1.0, indicating that the inefficient farmers could decrease their levels of input usage by 29% to produce the same levels of outputs to be at the same level with the frontier farmers. The results showed that the double log functional form gave the best line of fit. R2 value was about 86% and statistically significant at 1% level. Seed (0.882), family labour (0.712), hired labour (0.109), herbicide (0.548), fertilizer (0.200) and land (0.211) were positively and significantly related to productivity at different probability levels. Based on the findings, the study concluded that the mean technical efficiency (productivity) score was 0.71 indicating a high level of productivity. The study also found that all the production factors used by rice farmers among anchor borrower’s beneficiaries had a positive influence on the productivity levels of the rice farmers. Hence, productivity among rice farmers depends largely on their production factors.
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