ISSN 2360-798X
Abstract
Accepted 3rd July, 2019.
This study analyzes the technical efficiency of pig production in southern Kebbi State. A purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used in the selection of 252 pig farmers. The data obtained from the farmers were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production function, using a linearized Cobb–Douglas production function in determining the technical efficiency and inefficiency level of the farms in the study area. The results indicated that gender of the farmers, farming experience; household size and management system were negative and significant at 10%, implying that any increase in these variables will lead to increase in their technical efficiency level. The estimated gamma parameter of the model was 8.77, which indicates that about 91.23% of the total variation in pig output among the producers could be attributed to differences in their technical efficiencies. The mean technical efficiency of the pig farmers is 0.70, and the minimum technical efficiency is 0.27, while the maximum technical efficiency is 0.94. The result suggests that technical efficiency in pig production in the study area could be increased by 6% through better use of available resources given current state of technology. This also means that if the average farmer in the sample is to achieve the technical efficiency level of his or her most efficient counterpart, the average farmer would be 24% [i.e. 0.94-(.70)] more productive. Similarly, the most technically inefficient farmer would be 67% [i.e. 0.94-(.27)] more productive in order to achieve more productive level of the most technically efficient. Government should establish more research institutes for various disease control, breeding centers, effective extension services, market linkages for pig products to encourage more involvement in pig production. The result of the research recommends that farmers, whose technical efficiency level is very low, are expected to seek advice from the prospective ones on how to improve and attain greater level of efficiency in their production.
Keywords: Pig, Technical Efficiency, Determinants, Stochastic frontier Production function, Southern Kebbi.