Application of the Stochastic Production Frontier to the Measurement of Technical Efficiency of Fish Farming in Umuahia Metropolis, Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the factors that affect fish production among fish farmers who use pond for their fish production in Umuahia Metropolis, Abia State. Thirty six respondents were sampled from a list of fish farmers derived from Abia State Agricultural Development Programme Office. The Cob Douglas stochastic production function was used to determine factors that affect fish production as well as the factors that affect the technical efficiency of fish production. Pond size (p=0.05), capital input (p=0.01), labour input (p=0.05) and fertilizer used (p=0.05) were the major factors that determined fish production while species of fish stocked (p=0.1), number of ponds (p=0.1), distance (p=0.1) and educational status (p=0.1) determined the technical efficiency of fish production. The mean technical efficiency of fish production by use of pond in Abia State, Nigeria is 62%, implying that there are yet about 38% of chances for improvement on the technical efficiency of production. Given the existing technology of the fish producers, proper management that bears in mind the use of improved fish species, maintenance of number of ponds and increased education of the fish producers on current techniques of production are policy measures that could help improve on the technical efficiency of fish production in the study area.

Keywords: Fish production, Frontier, Technical efficiency, Pond, Factors, Abia State