AKSU Journal of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development
ISSN(Online): 2736-0040 ISSN(Print): 2695-1975
ISSN(Online): 2736-0040 ISSN(Print): 2695-1975
Abstract
This study determined Technical efficiency of Sesame Production among small scale famers in
Southern Taraba. Multi-stage sampling techniques was employed in the study. 160 respondents formed
the sample size. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic
production frontier. The socio-economic characteristics results revealed that majority (77%) of the
respondents were males, the farmers were within the age of 20 – 50 years with an average age of 43
years, 84% of the respondents were married, and 94.4 % of the respondents were literate, the
average farm size 3.12 hectares. The farmers had mean farming experience of 13.1 years and 88.1%
of the respondents had no access to credit. The likelihood estimates (0.736) of the stochastic production
frontier revealed that output is significantly influenced by seed, labour farm size and herbicide. The
individual technical efficiency indices range between 65% and 94% with mean technical efficiency of
82%. The mean technical efficiency of 82% implies that on the average, the farmers were able to
achieve 82% of optimal output of sesame from the set of inputs and technology available to them. It
was recommended that the private sectors and the extension agent collaborate together to train the
sesame farmers on the application of new technology that will raise their production to frontier level.