ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in three Local Government Areas in Kano State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting respondents for this study. The first stage was purposive selection of the three Local Governments based on predominance of sweet potato production. Secondly, two villages were purposively selected from each local government areas based on their intensity of sweet potato production. Finally, a simple random sampling was employed in selecting farmers from each of the villages. Ten percent of the sample frame (1204) was used as the sample size. In all, 120 farmers were randomly selected. Descriptive statistics, net farm income and stochastic frontier production function was used in analyzing the data. The study showed that 35.8% of the respondents fell within the age range of 30 and 39 years. Some of the farmers (39.2%) had no formal education. while majority of the farmers (64.2%) were not members of a Cooperative Society. The return to scale was estimated to be â‚Â�1.26 (> 1). Sweet potato production was profitable with an average return of â‚Â�0.26k for every â‚Â�1 invested in the study area. The parameters of the stochastic frontier production function were estimated simultaneously with that of the model of inefficiency variables. Results indicated that seed and agrochemical variables were significant (P<0.01) while labour is significant (P<0.10). The mean technical and allocative efficiencies were 86% and 62% respectively. Findings further revealed that none of the sampled sweet potato farmers reached the frontier threshold.However, the average economic efficiency of the sweet potato farmers was 53%. Also, cooperative association and farming experience were the only socio-economic variables responsible for the variation in technical efficiency. It was therefore recommended that timely and adequate supply of fertilizer and improved seed should be made available to farmers through e-wallet programme at affordable prices and formal and strong farmers` association should be form in order to enhance the production and utilization of sweet potato.