Technical, Allocative and Economic Efficiency of Maize Seeds Beneficiaries of SAA/KSADP in Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study analyzed the technical, allocative and economic efficiency of maize seed producers who are beneficiaries of the KSADP/SAA initiative in Kano State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 156 randomly chosen beneficiaries using structured questionnaire. The analysis employed descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier analysis. Findings revealed that the average was 47.27 years with majority (98.72%, 98.08% and 84.72%) being male, married and possessing some form of formal education respectively. The mean score for technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of 0.92, 1.08 and 0.99 respectively. It was further found that age, gender and years of experience were significant predictors of technical inefficiency (all at P<0.01). While allocative efficiency was affected by age, gender, educational level and years of experience. The study concludes that the beneficiaries effectively allocate their resources. It is recommended that low-interest credit is required to enable them upscale their production to make seeds available at affordable price to farmers.