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Farmers’ Efficiency Enhancement Through Input Management: the Issue of Usg Application in Modern Rice

M. SHAHE ALAM
Chief Scientific Officer
Agricultural Economics Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur 1701, Bangladesh

M. SAIFUL ISLAM
Senior Scientific Officer
Agricultural Economics Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur 1701, Bangladesh

M. A. ISLAM
Scientific Officer
Agricultural Economics Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur 1701, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A socio-economic study was carried out in two rice production environments (Gazipur and Tangail) to assess the comparative advantages of using urea super granule (USG) over prilled urea (PU) in modern rice production and to examine the differences in producers’ technical efficiency between USG user and nonuser in crop management. Stochastic frontier production model was employed to examine the farm specific technical efficiency difference in crop management between USG and PU users in the study areas. Analysis revealed that comparatively low amount (36%) of urea was needed in modern boro rice production using USG instead of PU. Nearly 366 % more labour was needed in the USG using plots compared to that of PU user plots, while weeding cost was a bit lower in USG using plots. Analysis also indicated that the sample farmers were able to achieve additional yield of 0.87 t/ha by using USG and this yield gain further resulted to additional benefit of Tk.11506/ha. For the resource poor rice farms, this benefit is considered to be substantive. Farmers’ contact with the technology disseminators, training on rice production and the use of USG (instead of PU) were the important factors of increasing rice farmers’ technical efficiency in crop management and productivity enhancement as well. According to the farmers’ opinion, there were several constraints in using USG and out of those, requirement of more labour and non availability of USG in proper time were the dominant ones.

Keywords: Urea super granule, prilled urea, flood-prone ecosystem, technical efficiency, productivity.

Location: Tangail and Gazipur districts

Start Date: 00-00-2008

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Performance

Objectives:

• To know the comparative advantages of using USG over prilled urea in modern rice production.

• To examine the differences in rice farmers’ technical efficiency in crop management between USG user and non-user.

• To identify the problems in using USG in rice production at farmers’ field.

• To derive policy implications from the above.

Methodology:

The study was conducted during Boro season of 2008. Two districts, namely Tangail and Gazipur were selected purposively to represent two different production environments. i.e. Tangail as the flood prone and Gazipur as flood free production environment. Two upazila under each district were also selected purposively. One village under each upazila (where intensive USG using farms were available) was also selected purposively in consultation with the local Agriculture Extension Department workers. From a comprehensive list of Boro growing farmers in the village, 15 USG users and 15 non-users from each village were selected randomly. Therefore, a total of 120 (i,e. 15*4*2) sample farms were taken under this study. Necessary data were collected using pre-designed questionnaire through interviewing the sample farmers. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in analyzing the data. In estimating the farm specific technical efficiency, the most widely used stochastic frontier production function model was used (Coelli, 1994).

Source of Information: Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 36(1) : 129-141, March 2011; ISSN 0258-7122

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Results revealed that, comparatively low amount (3 6%) of urea was needed in MV rice fields using USG instead of PU. Comparatively high labours were needed for the plots with USG application than the plots of PU application. Weeding cost was a little bit lower in USG using pots. Analysis also indicated that the sample farmers were able to achieve additional yield of 0.87 t/ha by using USG and this yield gain further resulted in additional benefit of Tk. 11506/ha. For the resource poor rice farms, this benefit is substantive. Farmers contact with the technology disseminators; training on rice production and the use of USG (instead of PU) were the important factors of increasing sample farmers’ technical efficiency in crop management and productivity enhancement. Above 92 percent farmers agreed to the proposition that the use of USG would be of course economic for them since this practice required less urea in producing modern boro rice. According to the farmers’ opinion, there were several constraints in using USG and out of those, requirement of more labour and nonavailability of USG in proper time were the important ones.

Knowledge Management: Journal