Analysis and Determinants of Technical Efficiency among Cassava Farmers in Cross River State, Nigeria

 Agricultural resources have been identified as the bedrock of agricultural production. An analysis and determinants of technical efficiency among cassava farmers was studied in Cross River State, Nigeria. In order to analyse and determine the factors affecting technical efficiency of the farmers, stochastic frontier production function model for technical efficiency was adopted.  The model revealed that technical efficiency of sampled farmers is less than one (1). This implies that the farmers in the study area are producing below the required output. Majority (57%) of the farmers produce at a production level that is 33% below the production frontier. The least technically efficient farmers had a technical efficiency of 0.31 which means that such farmers have to increase their level of production given their inputs and technology to at least 69 % for them to operate at the production frontier while the most technically efficient farmers had technical efficiency of 0.95 which means that they have to increase their production at least by 5% for them to operate on the production frontier and be fully efficient. The mean technical efficiency was 0.72; this implied that all sampled farmers will need to increase production at least by 28% given the available mix of inputs at a given technology for it to operate on the production frontier.