Technical Efficiency of Soya Beans Production in Mubi North Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria
Abstract
The study was conducted to evaluate the technical efficiency of soya bean production in Mubi North Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. The objective of the study was to examine the inputs and output relationship of soya bean production in the study area. A multi stage random sampling techniques was used to select 80 respondents in the study area who were noted for soya beans production. Primary data were collected from the respondents with the aid of structured questionnaire and were analyzed using stochastic frontier function. It was therefore recommended that inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and agrochemicals which were the major inputs that increase the output of soya bean production in the study area should be made available on time, in right amounts and at affordable prices to the farmer’s stakeholders in agriculture. Proper orientation and knowledge should be given to people willing to go into the cultivation of soya beans on the appropriate time of planting. Extension services should also be rendered effectively .
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Introduction
The agricultural sector in Nigeria has suffered many reversals during the past couple of decades. From era of booming of export trade in agricultural commodities, the Nigerian agricultural sector has degenerated to an import dependent one (Ojo and Ehinmowo, 2010). Subsequently, it has failed to generate significant foreign exchange, feed agro-allied industries, improve the living standards of farming households and rural dwellers and provide effective demand for industrial goods and services. Increasing food production however is vital for enhancing future food security in the country as this is no longer debatable but a necessity. To achieve this, good knowledge of the current efficiency or inefficiency inherent in the crop production sub-sector as well as factors responsible for the level of efficiency and inefficiency must be critically examined.
Soya bean is the richest source of plant protein known to man (Odusanya, 2002). It is also an important source of income. It can contribute to the enhanced sustainability of intensified cropping system by improving soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, permitting a longer duration of ground cover in the cropping sequence and providing useful crop residues for animal feed. Nigeria is still ranked amongst the lowest soya beans producing countries in the world (Faostat, 2009). This can be attributed to poor and inefficient usage of resources by farmers. Resource use efficiency study is very important for increased output and profitability of farmers. It is widely held that efficiency is at the heart of agricultural production. This is because the scope of agricultural production can be expanded and sustained by farmers through efficient use of resources (Udoh, 2000). For these reasons, efficiency has remained an important subject of empirical investigation particularly in developing economies where majority of the farmers are resource-poor. These problems identified have given rise to the following research questions .
Conclusion
If the efficiency level of the most efficient farmer is to be attained by all the farmers, cost savings can be achieved with the present level of technology and prices of inputs.
