Technical Efficiency and Productivity Measurement Using Data Envelopment Analysis Approach in Sudanese Agricultural Sector

Abstract

This research intends to measure the technical efficiency and totalproductivity index of Sesame and Sorghum crops for Gedaref and south Kordofan mechanized rain fed schemes, for ten years. In this study the nature of efficiency and productivity change is investigated through using data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique .The Malmquist productivity index has the components which are used in performance measurement; such as changes in technical efficiency, change in technological change as well as change in Total factor productivity TFP. The study identifies efficiency, inefficiency sources and benchmark for these schemes. In general thestudy tries to identify the efficient and inefficient agricultural schemes that had highest outputs levels fromtheleastinputs?Also the study wants to recognizethe reference set for inefficient agricultural schemes so as to improve their efficiency levels? In terms of Sesame and Sorghum products the results indicate that South Kordofan schemes show progress in (total factor productivity (TFP), similarly their frontier shift were also positive, this means that there is positive change in managerial efficiency during the period of the study for South Kordofan Mechanized rain fed schemes.Whereas Gedaref mechanized rain-fed farms were weak in term of (total factor productivity (TFP) for the two crops .This weakness was mainly contributed from frontier shift, which is also so weak during the period (2001-2010). The results of the study also indicate that South Kordofan farms were at top ranking in term of TFP growth due to high performance in using local agricultural inputs, which include labor, finance and machines. These schemes can serve as the reference set to improve the efficiency ofGedaref agricultural schemes. Key words:Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA),mechanized rain-fed Schemes.Agriculturalinputsand outputs