Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Small Scale Rice Farmers in the West Region of Cameroon: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

This study was undertaken to analyze technical efficiency of small scale rice farmers in the West Region of Cameroon. The specific objectives were to determine input-output relationships in small scale rice production; identify determinants of technical inefficiency of small scale rice farmers and estimate technical efficiency of small scale rice farmers. A multistage stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting the respondents. A total of 192 small scale rice farmers were purposively selected from four (4) out of eight divisions. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and interview schedule, administered on the respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production functions. The estimated production function for farm size and labour positively influenced small scale rice output at 5 percent level of probability implying that increases in farm size and labour by one unit lead to increase of rice output by the value of their estimated coefficient.  In contrast, fertilizer use negatively influenced small scale rice output at 5 percent level of probability implying that increases in fertilizer use by one unit lead to decreases in rice output by the value of the estimated coefficient. Extension contacts was found to be positively and significantly related to technical efficiency at 5 percent level of probability implying that technical efficiency in small scale rice production could be increased through better extension contact. In contrast, access to credit was found to be negatively related to technical efficiency at 5 percent level of probability implying that accessibility to credit decreases technical efficiency in small scale rice production in the study area. The average technical efficiency in small scale rice production was 82 percent implying that small scale farmers’ technical efficiency could be increased by 18 percent if the available resources are efficiently utilized. The study recommends that to increase farmers’ technical efficiency level, training aimed at fertilizer application and credit use by small scale rice farmers should be frequently organized in the study area. Keywords: Technical Efficiency, Small Scale producers, Cameroo

AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC VARIABLES ON CREDIT NEEDS OF FARMERS IN BENUE STATE NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The effects of socio-economic variables on credit needs of farmers in Benue State were investigated. A set of structured questionnaire was administered on 180 respondents randomly selected from eighteen communities in the state. The socioeconomic variables considered in this study include: age distribution, farm size, farming experience, educational status, family size, and farm income. The result showed a positive relationship between all the socio-economic variables mentioned and credit required by farmers. It was therefore, recommended that government, financial institutions and other relevant agencies involved in loan disbursement to farmers should take serious cognizance of their socio-economic background to determine the appropriate loan to individual farmers

RICE OUTPUT RESPONSE TO COMMERCIAL LOAN TO AGRICULTURE IN NIGERIA FROM 1966 TO 2015

This study examined rice output response to commercial loan to agriculture (CLA) in Nigeria from 1966 to 2015. Employing the Augmented-Dickey Fuller test to analyze the level of stationarity of each of the series and applied the Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL), via bounds testing to determine long-run elasticities as well as short-run elasticities of rice output. Rice output was responsive to producer price of rice with elasticity of 0.34 in the short run at 5% and elasticity of 0.66 at 1% in the long run. Producer price of maize was negative and significant in the short run with elasticity of -0.48 at 5% level of significance and elasticity of (-1.38) in the long at 1% level of significance. Rice output showed an insignificant elasticity of 0.19 in the short run but was elastic (0.3%) and significant at 5% in the long run. Furthermore, hectarage was highly significant at 1% with elasticity of 1.14 in the short run and elasticity of 1.4 in the long run in relation to the output. It was therefore concluded that CLA made intense impact on rice output in the long run. On this premise therefore, it is recommended that government should review its Land Use Act of 1978 to enable producers more access to land for rice cultivation, secondly government should increase such funds to ease producers the ability to procure all the necessary inputs and make the fund readily and promptly available