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The study examined the levels of allocative efficiency, socio-economic determinants of allocative efficiency and constraints to cocoyam production among smallholder farmers in South-South Nigeria. Multistage, purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select 200 cocoyam (100- Colocasia and 100- Xanthosoma spp.) farmers for the study. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaire administered by personal interview. Descriptive and Parametric statistics involving Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier cost function was used for data analyses using the maximum likelihood method. Results of the analyses indicated that majority (69%) of the farmers were females; 78% attained some level of formal education and 45% operated between 0.1-0.6 hactares of land. The Colocasia and Xanthosoma spp. farmers showed varying levels of allocative efficiency with no farmer attaining 100%allocative efficiency level. The mean, minimum and maximum efficiency levels for the two varieties were; 0.56, 0.31 and 0.86 and then 0.42, 0.22 and 0.82 respectively. The maximum likelihood estimates for the cost factors were positive and statistically significant for both varieties of cocoyam while the significant gamma (γ) values of 0.63 and 0.51 establishes the fact that inefficiency exists among the sampled farmers. The determinants of allocative efficiency were farming experience, age and household size. Allocative efficiency can be improved for cocoyam (Colocasia and Xanthosoma spp.) through cost savings of 39.5% and 73.4% for the efficient and inefficient farmers. The major constraints to cocoyam production in the area were scarcity of improved high yielding corms, lack of capital, high cost of labour, high cost of transportation, lack of storage facilities, diseases and pests. It is therefore recommended that farmers should cut down on some of the cost incurring variables like labour and corms for planting through optimizing the use of family labour and growing the corms needed for future planting season. Again, since the ages of cocoyam farmers and farming experience were very significant in the production of cocoyam, it is recommended that the extension agents organize seminars in the Local Government Areas and State levels were young and upcoming entrepreneurs can be trained and educated by the older farmers in order to exhibit higher levels of entrepreneurial capabilities and efficiency leading to higher farm output. |
