ABSTRACT
Mango has been the major cash crop grown by farmers in the Yilo Krobo
Municipality. The productivity of this crop has been persistently low despite
various private and public sector interventions. Studies have suggested that
one key factor of productivity growth is efficiency in resource and technology
use. This study estimated the economic efficiency of mango production to
determine the scope for additional increase in mango production. A multistage
sampling technique was used to randomly select and collect primary data from
sixty two registered mango farmers. Descriptive statistics were used to
describe the state of mango production. Stochastic production frontier analysis
was used to estimate the economic efficiencies and their determinants among
mango farmers. Kendall coefficient of concordance was used to measure the
degree of agreement among farmers concerning the constraints associated with
mango production. The results of the analysis indicated that mango farmers
were economically inefficient, and that the presence of technical and
allocative inefficiencies had effects on mango production. In addition, the
results revealed that farm-specific and farmer-specific characteristics were
significant predictors of the economic inefficiency levels exhibited by mango
farmers. The Kendall W statistic also revealed a strong degree of agreement
among mango farmers concerning the constraints associated with mango
production. Based on these findings, policy makers should focus on promoting
efficient use of existing technology and resources in mango production. For
instance, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture should develop an integrated
and holistic extension strategy to provide training for famers on resource use
efficiency, information, and access to inputs and services.
