Efficiency of Resource-use and Marginal Productivities in Dry Season Amaranth Production in Edo South, Nigeria


	Journal of Applied Sciences
	Year: 2007 \| Volume: 7 \| Issue: 17 \| Page No.: 2500-2504 DOI: 10.3923/jas.2007.2500.2504

Efficiency of Resource-use and Marginal Productivities in Dry Season Amaranth Production in Edo South, Nigeria

C.O. Emokaro and P.A. Ekunwe

Abstract: The objective of the study was to determine whether the resources employed in the production process were efficiently utilized. The primary data used in the study were gathered with the help of a well structured questionnaire, administered through the cost-route method of data collection. The simple random sampling technique was adopted after the study area had been stratified into regions where dry season amaranth production is carried out. The underlying analytical techniques employed were multiple regression analysis and descriptive statistics. The result showed that dry season amaranth producers in Edo South are smallholder farmers, predominantly males, with mean farm sizes ranging between 0.046, 0.067 and 0.093 hectare. It was also shown in the study that none of the resources employed in the production process was efficiently utilized. While land and fertilizer were underutilized (with efficiency estimate of 5.57 and 1.78, respectively), labour was shown to be over-utilized (with an efficiency estimate of 0.27). The immediate implication of these findings is that there is enough potential for increased production of amaranth, especially in the dry season when amaranth is known to be scarce. This can be actualized by the cropping of larger hectares, regulated usage of higher quantities of fertilizers and the provision of labour saving machines like water pumps and irrigation devices, which would help reduce labour requirements and enhance efficiency. This would go a long way in addressing the serious nutritional deficiencies in the diets of the average Nigerian.

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How to cite this article:

C.O. Emokaro and P.A. Ekunwe , 2007. Efficiency of Resource-use and Marginal Productivities in Dry Season Amaranth Production in Edo South, Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences, 7: 2500-2504.

DOI: 10.3923/jas.2007.2500.2504

URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jas.2007.2500.2504

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