DETERMINANT OF TECHNICAL, ALLOCATIVE AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCIES IN THE PLANTAIN (MUSA SPP.) PRODUCTION INDUSTRY, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Efficiency is a very important factor for productivity growth. In an economy where resources are scarce and opportunities to use new technologies are limited, inefficiency studies indicate the potential possibility to raise productivity by improving efficiency without necessarily developing new technologies or increasing the resource base. The objective of this study was to determine the technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of plantain (Musa spp.) farmers in Ondo State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 276 plantain farmers. Data were analyzed using the stochastic parametric technique. Findings show that technical efficiency indices varied from 20 to 87%, with a mean of 61%; allocative efficiency varied from 14 to 83%, with a mean of 57%; and economic efficiency varied from 3 to 67%, with a mean of 35%. These widely varying indices of efficiency among plantain farmers in a similar agro-ecological locality indicate great potential to achieve productivity growth through improved efficiency, using existing technologies and the available resource base in the study area. Results of the estimated coefficients indicated that age is significant and positively correlated to technical and economic efficiencies, while extension services contributed significantly to technical efficiencies. These results suggest that experience in plantain farming and increased investment in extension services could jointly contribute to an improvement in efficiency of plantain farmers in Ondo State of Nigeria.