Efficiency Analysis of Silage Maize Production in the Province of Canakkale

Aims/Objectives: This study offers an efficiency analysis of maize silage production in the province of Canakkale. As a next step, the role of various socio-economic factors on efficiency has been examined to find out which socio-economic factors could be improved to attain higher efficiency levels.
Place and Duration of Study: In 15 villages of the province of Canakkale during Summer 2011.
Methodology: 15 villages in the province of Canakkale, which have similar climate conditions, production structures and technical properties, are determined. Then, 70 silage maize growing farms are randomly selected from these 15 villages. Data regarding input-output relations and socio-economic properties of farms were collected for the production season of 2009-2010 in the summer of 2011. Technical, allocative and economic efficiency measures are derive for this sample by employing parametric stochastic frontier analysis and nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA). Finally, socio-economic factors affecting efficiency levels are estimated with a Tobit estimation procedure.
Results: The analysis shows that the mean technical, allocative and economic efficiencies are found to be 76.9%, 87.1% and 77.8%, respectively, with the parametric approach and 84.2%, 78.2% and 64.7% with DEA. It is found out that the efficiency rankings of the sample producers based on the two approaches are very much correlated, indicating that there is an agreement between the two approaches. Both approaches show that there are considerable inefficiencies in maize silage production in the region. Analysis of the role of various socio-economic factors on productive efficiency shows that the size of the farm, number of irrigations and irrigation interval are found to be important determinants of efficiency.
Conclusion: Both approaches show that there are serious inefficiencies in maize silage production in Canakkale implying that there is a lot of room for improvement.