Resource use efficiency in small-scale rice production in Nigeria

Abstract

Resource use efficiency in small-scale rice production in Nigeria was examined. The production function for rice, elasticity of production, return to scale, marginal productivity and level of efficiency of inputs used in rice production were determined. Questionnaires were administered to 300 individuals and data obtained from 263 respondents were analysed by descriptive statistics, stochastic frontier production model and marginal analysis. The results indicated that farm size, family labour, hired labour, rice seed and herbicide positively and significa-ntly influenced the production output of rice, while fertilizer (NPK) had negative and significant effect on the rice output. Also, the rice production had increasing return to scale of 2.18. With the exception of fertilizer that was over-utilized, all other inputs were underutilized with ratios of marginal value products to unit prices greater than unity (i.e. 19.35, 1.52, 2.84, 30.62 and 8.34 for farm size, family labour, hired labour, rice seed and herbici-de respectively). To operate at optimum efficiency level, the farmers must decrease fertilizer application, while increasing the use of the other inputs.