TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AND ITS DETERMINANTS IN BACKWARD AGRICULTURE: THE CASE OF PADDY FARMERS OF HAILAKANDI DISTRICT OF ASSAM

The study measures farm level technical efficiency among paddy farmers of Hailakandi district of Assam on the basis of farm level primary data of 265 cultivators for the peak cropping season of 2009-10. A translog stochastic production frontier is estimated and selected non-input factors are modeled to explain variations in technical inefficiency across cultivators. Age, education levels and proportion of land leased in and HYV cultivation have positive influences on farm level technical efficiency. However indebtedness and percentage of self consumption of farm produce have negative influences. Government support through agricultural extension services is found insignificant. Mean technical efficiency is found to be around 69 percent. Finally the study observes decreasing returns to scale and a negative association between farm size and technical efficiency.