Resource-Use Efficiency in Irrigated Rice Production in Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the resource-use efficiency in irrigated rice
production in Yobe State. Primary data was used in the analysis.
The analytical tool used was stochastic frontier production function
using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) which was applied
on cross sectional data of 384 sampled farmers. The result from the
MLE reveals that farmers performed at an average technical
efficiency of 73%, 83% and 86% for small, medium and large scale
farmers respectively. The technical return to scale show that all
categories of farmers exhibited increasing returns to scale but the
large scale farmers were closer to stage two which is the rational
stage of production process. The ratio of MVP to MFC of all inputs
were greater than one indicating that all inputs except labour were
under utilized in the study area. Base on the findings, it is
recommended that the small and medium irrigated rice farmers can
pool their resources together to derive the economies of larger scale
production since the fall in output from maximum efficiency level is
less for the large scale farmers; also the fact that the large scale
farmers are closer to stage two of the production process which is
the rational stage of production.