Total Factor of Productivity (TFP) of the Northeast Benin rice producers: A case study of Malanville Municipality

Abstract

Rice producers’ efficiency is widely assessed by using the Stochatistic Frontier Analysis (SFA). But because of gaps between the output(s) implied by the regression line for a given level of input(s) and the real output(s) at the same level of input(s), the Frontier Analysis can provide misleading measures and this is a limit. This article aims at analyzing the economic efficiency levels of rice producers using a framework which does not impose any parametric function: the indexes of productivity (Total Factor of Productivity (TFP) for instance). To reach this objective, primary data were collected from hundred and twenty (120) rice producers in Malanville Municipality. From the data analysis, it comes out that the average indexes of productivity (TFP) are 1.32 (± 0.57) in wet season, 1.45 (± 0.78) in dry season, and 1.33 (± 0.55) for both seasons. On one hand, this indicates that rice producers are economically efficient. On the other hand the access to credit, the experience in rice farming and the rice farming system are the main factors determining the producers’ efficiency level. Keywords : Rice production, Indexes of productivity, Total Factor of Production, Economic efficiency, Malanville.