Cassava is one of the most important cash crops in Cambodia. Agricultural mechanization promotes productivity, but overinvestment may disrupt the balance between inputs and outputs. Depending on the production scale, sometimes hiring equipment is considered better than purchasing it. While we can hypothesize that mechanization and investments might be crucial factors of productivity, technical efficiency analysis for estimating their effects has not yet been conducted. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of mechanization and investments on cassava yield and producers’ technical efficiency in Cambodia using the Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier production model. For the study, 205 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed in the Battambang and Pailin provinces in northwestern Cambodia in 2017. Our results show that tractor or truck-hire cost was positively significant, and the cassava uprooting machine-hire cost was negatively significant. The average technical efficiency score of 0.62 indicates that cassava producers can increase their level of technical efficiency. Although cassava production in Cambodia is mechanized and investors are investing, it would be more beneficial to producers if they were provided with financial assistance when uprooting the cassava at the harvest time. Appropriate control of input costs can effectively improve cassava yield, following the implementation of the National Policy on Cassava 2020–2025 by the Royal Government of Cambodia.
Cassava producers face numerous economic and natural challenges that impact their profitability. Economically, they encounter price fluctuations for cassava chips and fresh tubers in the global market. Additionally, unexpected weather conditions and diseases affect production. Given the volatility of global prices and unpredictable natural events, producers employ various strategies to maximize their diminishing profits. However, it remains uncertain which practices are more effective in achieving profitability. The factors that influence profitability in farming, such as density, replanting, and the choice of selling the product, either fresh or dry, have been identified in this study. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the determinant factors, including inputs to profit efficiency and farming strategies specific to cassava plantations, that lead to enhanced profit capture. We employ a Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier model to analyze the technical efficiency of profit capture. Our study suggests that producers should avoid buying additional bunches for replanting and focus on planting at an optimized density to maximize profits. Other strategies showed uncertain outcomes. Knowledge of correct farming practices can improve efficiency and profit optimization.
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