Profit efficiency in maize-peanut ball (Dakuwa) processing among women in Torankawa District, Yabo Local Government Area, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined profit efficiency in Maize-Peanut Ball (Dakuwa) processing among women in Torankawa District, Yabo Local Government Area, Sokoto State, Nigeria. Dakuwa is a cereal and groundnut-based snack, mainly consumed in the northern parts of Nigeria and is prepared from mixtures of cereals, groundnut, grounded pepper, ginger, sugar and salt. Multi-stage sampling techniques was adopted in eliciting 112 Dakuwa women processors used for the study. Primary data were collected with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire. Respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics, such as age, educational attainment, household size, marital status, experience, and cooperative participation, are among the data elicited. Also elicited were prices for the input and output of the maize-peanut ball processing. Descriptive statistics, Net farm income and the Normalized Stochastic Profit Frontier Model were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that Torankawa's maize-peanut ball processors are young, educated in primary schooling, with large household sizes and ample processing experience. The average NFI was estimated at ₦3,802.5 per week. The result from the stochastic frontier shows that the coefficient of millet grain, labour, firewood and ingredients were significant at p<0.01 and p<0.05 levels with the mean technical efficiency score of 97.3%. Based on the findings, for economic and relative sustainability of the enterprise, the study recommends that, proper arrangement should be made to improve and manage educational system, adequate supply of millet grain at affordable price to the processors. It was also recommended that Government and relevant stakeholders to provide credit to the processors to enable them to acquire necessary input.