Extent of farm mechanization and technical efficiency of rice production in some selected areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

The research has been conducted to explore the extent of adopting mechanization at farm level and its impact on rice producers’ technical efficiency. Primary data and information required for analytical approach have been collected using structured questionnaire through field survey of 200 farm households located in two districts of Bangladesh. Farm households were selected following multi-stage purposive sampling technique and were classified into two groups on the basis of extent of using modern agricultural practices. Technical efficiency is the ratio between actual and potential output of a production unit. Farmers strongly agree that farm mechanization save their precious time which they spend for farming period and also increased overall food production. They also agree that the use of modern machinery improve their consumption level as well as food security. From the profitability analysis of two levels of mechanization, it is apparent that mechanization has positive impact and leading to increase productivity and profitability of rice producers. The results from DEA approach implies that farms with higher level of mechanization are technically more efficient than the others although both farm groups are technically inefficient in rice production. The findings from Tobit regression show that variables such as farming experience, age and levels of farm mechanization were significantly associated with the technical efficiency of sample farms. Inefficiency of farms is negatively influenced by the level of farm mechanization indicated that mechanization is one of the important determinants to improve technical efficiency. So, the applications of modernized farming machineries could be an essential tool for the development of agricultural sector in Bangladesh.