ABSTRACT
The main objective of this study was to determine the profitability and estimate the levels of technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of irrigated and rain-fed Irish potato farming in Plateau State. A multi-stage sampling technique; comprising of purposive, systematic and simple random sampling were used for data collection from 103 and 198 farmers of irrigated and rain-fed Irish potato respectively. They were sampled from the 20 villages of the 4 Local Government Areas that are dominant Irish potato producers. The study relied on primary data collected through the use of structured questionnaire for analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, and the Cobb- Douglas Stochastic frontier models. The results of the socio-economic characteristics of the two groups of respondents showed that the mean ages of the farmers were 41 and 49 years; the mean house-hold sizes were 10 and 11 people; the average farm sizes were 1.90 ha and 2.67ha; the average number of visits by extension agents were 2 times per farming season each; whereas the mean farming experiences were 17 and 18 years respectively. The result also showed that Irish potato farmers belonged to at least one cooperative society. The profitability analysis showed that Irish potato farming was a profitable venture, considering the return per naira invested of ₦1.41 and ₦1.36 in the irrigated and rain-fed farming system respectively. The efficiency estimates from this study revealed that there were disparities between production potentials and the actual levels of production. The average level of efficiencies estimated for the two groups of farmers were 69% and 88% for technical, 66% and 79% for allocative and 45% and 70% for economic respectively. The socio-economic factors that had significant bearings on technical, allocative and economic inefficiencies were age, education, house-hold size, extension visits, and membership of cooperative society. The factors that were significant at 1% level of probability were age, education and extension visits. Household size and membership of cooperative society were significant at 5% level of probability for irrigated and rain-fed Irish potato farming. Some of the main constraints identified were inadequate farm size; poor and inadequate network of rural roads; poor and inadequate storage facilities; and high cost of seeds. Based on these findings, it was recommended that deliberate legal frame- work and policy measures that warrant farmers attain the optimum level of production efficiency be put in place and strictly implemented. In addition government should subsidize key Irish potato inputs such as improved seed varieties, water pumping machines, fertilizer, tractors for farming operations and embark on massive provision of rural infrastructures.
