TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY OF ORANGE FLESHED SWEET POTATO PRODUCTION (OFSP) WITHIN THE BENIN REPUBLIC
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Date
2024
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Faculty of Agriculture, Thomas Adewumi University, Kwara State, Nigeria
Abstract
This research work examined technical efficiency and profitability of orange fleshed sweet potato
production (OFSP) and within Benin Republic. The data was analyzed using the following analytical
tools: Likert type scale, budgetary technique, stochastic frontier production function, and descriptive
statistics. Finding showed that due to the demanding tasks involved in producing OFSP, 94.55% of the
respondents were married men, suggesting that men made up the majority of respondents. The study
area's average respondent age was 42.1 years, suggesting that the majority of OFSP farmers were
youthful, agile, and in productive age. This could potentially increase the productivity of OFSP in the
area. The average size of an OFSP farm was 0.66 hectares, indicating the extent to which OFSP
production in the study area is subsistence level. The gross margin was 226610.19 CFA and the total
revenue was 424515 CFA. These figures demonstrate how profitable OFSP production was in the
survey region. The average cost per kilogram indicated that 1631.67CFA, or 0.8% of the total cost,
was needed to produce 1 bag of OFSP, while the average revenue per bag indicated that selling 1 bag
of the produced OFSP brought in 3500CFA. Given that the benefit cost ratio is greater than 1, the OFSP
farmers stand to gain 2.15 CFA for every CFA invested. This is indicated by the benefit cost ratio of
2.15. As a result, the study area's OFSP production is profitable. Additionally, the results of the
stochastic frontier analysis showed that the amounts of fertilizer, vine/seed, and herbicide were
significant at (1%), demonstrating the impact of these inputs on the output of OFSP farmers. The mean
technical efficiency was 88%, indicating that the farmers' output was below the frontier. The modal
technical efficiency was above 90%. This indicated that there is wider distribution of technical
efficiencies in the production level in the study area, which revealed that there is a considerable room
for effective improvements in the technical efficiency of the farmers in the study area. From the
inefficiency model, farm size, gender, level of education and cropping pattern were negatively
significant which have effect on technical inefficiency. Transportation problem (3.709), theft (3.555)
Lack of Institutional support/adequate funding (3.455), pest and diseases (3.409) and natural
disaster (3.091) are the major restraints faced by OFSP farmers in the study area. In conclusion, OFSP
farmers need to improve their technical efficiency. Government or NGO should look into the problems
facing the farmers in the study area.
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Keywords
OFSP, Budgetary technique, Vine, CFA