ISSN 2360-798X
Abstract
Accepted 7th January, 2018.
The study was conducted to examine the efficiency differentials in farm size of cassava production in Ekiti State. Specifically, it described the socio-economic characteristics of cassava farmers in Ekiti State; determined the cost and revenue structure of cassava production in different farm sizes; examined and compared the resource use efficiency of small, medium and large scale cassava farms. The study was carried out in Ekiti State. Well-structured questionnaire was administered on one hundred and twenty cassava farmers using a multistage random sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of the cassava farmers; profitability analysis was used to determine the cost and revenue from cassava production; and stochastic frontier was used to examine and compare resource use efficiency of small, medium and large scale cassava farms. The income distribution of the respondents by small scale, medium scale and large scale was ₦27,699, ₦79,983 and ₦229,290 accordingly. The benefit-cost (BC) ratios were ₦0.83; ₦0.95 and ₦1.06 for small, medium and large scale respectively. The farmers were operating at the region of increasing returns to scales. The mean technical efficiency are 0.73, 0.83 and 0.86 for small, medium and large scale farmers respectively. All the resources were inefficiently utilized as the marginal value products for farm size, stem, fertilizer and herbicide were greater than their respective factor prices for small, medium and large scale farmers while that of labour was less for all categories of farmers. The study therefore recommended that, there should be accessible, affordable and simple agricultural production machineries and equipment for the farmers to ease their over reliance on human labour thus calling for invigoration of farm service centres in the State. Financial institutions and governmental agencies should provide financial assistance that is easy-burdened to cassava farmers to boost the production.
Keywords: Farm size, efficiency differentials, cassava production, stochastic frontier.