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Technical Efficiency of Pig Farmers in Imo State Nigeria: A Translog Stochastic Frontier Production Function Approach


JE Ewuziem
VO Onyenobi
AG Ironkwe

Abstract

This study was carried out in Imo State, Nigeria. It was necessitated by the need to estimate the technical efficiency of pig farmers in the area, since pig farming activities is rising recently in the state. The study used a multi stage stratified random sampling technique to select 60 pig farmers in the state. The stochastic frontier production function was employed to estimate the technical efficiency and simultaneously, its determinants using the maximum likelihood methods. The results show that the pig farmers had a mean technical efficiency of 0.59, with a maximum of 0.78 and a minimum of 0.23. Variables like level of education, years of experience in pig farming, environmental orientation, quantity of waste generated and waste management/related expenditures among others were positively related to technical efficiency while some variables like age, quantity of waste generated and conflict had an inverse relationship with technical efficiency. This implies that agricultural policies should aim at encouraging the youth to engage in pig production as a way of addressing the unemployment problem in the state. This study has revealed that ample opportunities exist for pig farmers to improve on their levels of technical efficiency in the study area.


Keywords: Pig Farmers, Technical Efficiency, Production, Stochastic,  Frontier, Translog.


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print ISSN: 0300-368X