Abstract
Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in Ethiopia, ranking fourth in total cereals production (16%) next to maize, sorghum and teff. Despite its potential for wheat grain production, Ethiopia falls short of being self-sufficient in wheat, and is currently a net importer of wheat grain. This study examines levels of and determinants of technical efficiency of wheat producing farmers in Ethiopia. Data was collected from 2017 farm households from the four major wheat growing regions of Ethiopia where around 85% of the country wheat production comes from. Cobb-Douglas functional model were used to analyze level of technical efficiency whereas quantile regression (QR) technique were employed to analyze factors that affect technical efficiency. The study indicated the average efficiency level of wheat producing farmers is 0.66 implying the huge potential to increase wheat production given the existing technological level and without any additional investment in agricultural research. Several institutional, socioeconomic and biophysical and agro ecological factors affect technical efficiency in wheat production in Ethiopia. Key words: Technical efficiency, wheat, Ethiopia. 
Highlights
Agricultural research and development, in general, contributes to agricultural growth and total factor productivity by increasing crop and livestock yields through development of new technologies and increased technological diffusion and adoption (Nicostrato and Mark, 2015)
This study examines levels of and determinants of technical efficiency of wheat producing farmers in Ethiopia
This study, have used data collected from seven major agro-ecological areas of the four biggest regional states in Ethiopia (Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and SNNP) which are known for their high wheat production potential where more than 85% of the country wheat production is obtained from
Summary
Agricultural research and development, in general, contributes to agricultural growth and total factor productivity by increasing crop and livestock yields through development of new technologies and increased technological diffusion and adoption (Nicostrato and Mark, 2015). Investment in agricultural research is one of the key priority area of governments in developing countries that aimed at improving production and productivity of agriculture which play crucial role in the development of the entire economy. The transformation process could be hampered by many challenges which includes limited farmers access to information on technologies, limited access to inputs and financial services, poor market access, among others.
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