Identification Of Factors That Influence Technical Efficiency Of Cash Crops Production Sesame And Groundnut In North Kordofan State Sudan

Abstract This paper was aimed to measure technical efficiency and identifies eeficiency determinants in groundnuts and sesame crops production in rainfed sector area of North Kordofan State of Sudan. Random sampling technique was used to select 205 crop farmers from which input-output data were collected based on 2011-2012 cropping season. Technical efficiency has been estimated using stochastic frontier production function analysis. The results revealed that the technical efficiency of crop production range from 3 to 100 with mean of 40 for groundnuts and from 11 to 100 with a mean of 84 for sesame. The average technical efficiencies indicate that there are scopes for increasing groundnuts and sesame production by 60 and 16 respectively from a given mix of production inputs via adopting the existing technologies used by the more efficient farmers. Also the results indicate that farmers in North Kordofan state are more efficient in technology and resources utilization for sesame production compared to groundnut. Contrary to expectations all the inefficiency model parameters for both sesame and groundnut production were found to be insignificant with exception of the framer age for sesame crop. It could be concluded that there is a possibility of technical gain from enhancing sesame and groundnut farmers technical efficiency in the study area.