Technical Efficiency and its Determinants in Potato Production, Evidence from Punjab, Pakistan

Potato cultivation accounts for 5.71 percent in total cropped area of the Punjab province and it supplements the diet of the growing population at lower prices as compared to grains, meat and chicken. Data from 100 farmers, 50 each from the districts of Okara and Kasur during the year 2002-2003 (the autumn crop) has been collected. The study estimates the technical efficiency inpotato production by employing the Cobb-Douglas stochastic production frontier approach. The null hypothesis of no technical inefficiency in the data is rejected. Our results indicate that potato farmers are 84 percent technically efficient, implying significant potential in potato production thatcan be developed. By shifting the average farmer to the production frontier, the average yield would increase from 8.33 tons per acre to 9.92 tons per acre using the available resources. The additional quantity of potatoesgathered through efficiency improvements would generate Rs. 990.81 ($16.51) million of revenue each year. Consultation with extension workers significantly contributes to the improvement of technical efficiency and implies that the extension department should be one of the major targeted variables from the policy point of view in order to improve technical efficiency in potato production.