ECONOMICS OF MAIZE PRODUCTION USING TWO TECHNOLOGIES IN FOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF KADUNA STATE
ECONOMICS OF MAIZE PRODUCTION USING TWO TECHNOLOGIES IN FOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF KADUNA STATE
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Date
1999-06
Authors
AYUBA, BENJAMIN LOMS
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Abstract
The objective of the study was to assess the efficiency of improved technology
in maize production in Kaduna State by comparing Sasakawa and Non-Sasakawa
Technologies. The emphasis was however, on determination of the quantities and costs
of inputs used and the estimation of output and returns from maize production. Also the
efficiencies of resources used by both groups of farmers were also determined.
To obtain the data necessary for this study, 80 farmers each of users of Sasakawa
and Non-Sasakawa technologies for sole maize production were interviewed from four
Local Government Areas of the State. Descriptive statistics, gross-margin analysis and
production function analysis were employed in the analyses of the data.
The results of the study showed that with the exception of seeds, the levels of
other variable inputs used by the Sasakawa farmers were significantly higher than for the
Non-Sasakawa farmers. The output obtained by the Sasakawa farmers was about 34
percent higher than that of the Non-Sasakawa farmers. The pattern of cost of production
and returns show that the average cost of production for using Sasakawa technology was
greater than for the Non-Sasakawa users by 42 percent. The results further revealed that
labour and fertilizer accounted for about 88 percent and 92 percent of cost of production
in both the Sasakawa and Non-Sasakawa farms respectively. The gross-return per
hectare for the Sasakawa farmers was about 51 percent higher than for the Non-Sasakawa
farmers. Similarly, the gross-margin per hectare for the Sasakawa farmers was also
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significantly higher than for the Non-Sasakawa farmers with about 62 percent.
The production function analysis shows that the Semi-log and Cobb-Douglass
production functions reasonably explained the variability in the total value of output
obtained from the use of Sasakawa and Non-Sasakawa technologies respectively. The
results showed fertilizer was over-utilized, land and Seeds were under-utilised by
Sasakawa farmers In the case of the Non-Sasakawa farmers, fertilizer and seeds were
under-utilized, while labour was over-utilized. Both the Sasakawa and Non-Sasakawa
technologies will exhibit an increasing returns to scale of 2.2 and 1.1 percent respectively
in output if all inputs included in the models are increased by 1 percent.
The study revealed that some increases in the productivity of maize production
have been achieved through the use of Sasakawa technology, therefore, planning for
maize production should continue to focus on the design and implementation of such
programme
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Postgraduate School, Ahmadu Bello University,
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science (Agricultural Economics)
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
Faculty of Agriculture
Ahmadu Bello University
Zaria - Nigeria
Keywords
ECONOMICS,, MAIZE,, PRODUCTION,, USING,, TWO,, TECHNOLOGIES,, FOUR,, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS,, KADUNA STATE