Technical Efficiency of Maize Production in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria
- September 4, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS Team
- Categories: Agriculture, IJRIAS
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | Volume V, Issue V, May 2020 | ISSN 2454-6194
Technical Efficiency of Maize Production in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria
Ayodele, J.T.1, Ijah, A.A.1, Ishola, B.F.2, Danbaki, C.A.1, Yahaya, U.F.1, Oladele, O.N.1
1Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna, Nigeria
2Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Jericho Hill, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Abstract:- This study examined the technical efficiency of maize production in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State , Nigeria. Primary data were collected for this study using a multistage sampling technique to select 100 maize farmers from the study area. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and stochastic production frontier. The socio-economic characteristics of respondents as evident from the data analysis revealed that 87% were males with 99% of the farmers in their working age group of between 21-60 years. Most (81%) of them were married with 52 % of the maize farmers having household size of more than 5 people . Also, 52.0% had post primary school education and 72 % of the farmers had 2hectares of farm size and above while only 34 % of the farmers had above 5years of experience in maize farming. The result also revealed that all the variables measured positively influenced maize output but those that were significant are farm size (α0.01) and fertilizer (α0.01) while those factors that significantly affecting inefficiency were age(α0.01), extension services (α0.01),maize variety (α0.01), access to credit (α0.01) and educational level (α0.01). However access to credit was positively signed which negate a priori expectation. Mean technical efficiency level of the farmers is estimated to be 54%, indicating that the possibility of increasing maize output in the study area given the current state of technology and inputs level can be achieved in the short run by increasing the technical efficiency level of the farmers by 46% through the adoption of practices of the best maize farmer. The study recommended that provision should be made by governments and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector to provide farmers with access to affordable inputs such as seed, pesticides, herbicides, as well as making provision for alternative source of labour.
Keywords: Technical Efficiency; Maize; production; Output; Inputs; Chikun ;Kaduna State.
