Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Rice Farmers in Niger State: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

Closing the yield gap between actual farm performance and production frontier potential is a central challenge in Nigerian rice development. In Niger State, a significant inland valley rice producing region, technical efficiency analysis can identify farm-level and institutional constraints limiting production performance. This study analysed the technical efficiency of smallholder rice farmers in Niger State using a stochastic frontier production function model applied to primary data from 200 rice farmers selected through multistage random sampling. The translog production function was estimated to allow for flexible substitution relationships among inputs. Mean technical efficiency was estimated at 0.67, indicating a 33 percent efficiency gap that could be closed without additional input use. Land area, seed quantity, and labour were the significant positive determinants of rice output at the frontier. In the inefficiency effects model, extension contact frequency, farmer education, experience, and membership in farmer groups significantly reduced inefficiency levels. Distance to input markets and dependency ratio exerted significant positive effects on inefficiency. The study contributes empirical evidence on the nature and sources of technical inefficiency in Niger State rice systems, filling a gap in local productivity diagnostics. Strengthening extension delivery, improving input market access, and promoting farmer group membership are recommended priority interventions. Keywords: technical efficiency, stochastic frontier, rice production, Niger State, production function.