ASSESSING THE TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF IMPROVED TOMATO PRODUCTION IN GHANA: A TWO- STEP METASTOCHASTIC FRONTIER APPROACH

Purpose of the Article: This study examines the technical efficiency of tomato farmers in Ghana. Methods: Using cross-sectional data for the 2019 cropping season and through a multi-stage sampling technique, 508 farmers from three agro-ecological zones were selected and used for the study. Using Metafrontier analysis and a translog functional form, we examined the mean levels and the determinants of Metatechnical efficiencies. Findings, Value Added and Novelty: The findings of group-specific metafrontier technical efficiencies (MFTEs) and ecological gap ratios (EGRs) showed that tomato farmers in Ghana produced below the group frontier due to limited and inefficient utilization of the available technologies. Farmers in Forest Savannah Transitional Zone (FSTZ) achieved higher mean technical efficiency than those in the Coastal Savannah Zone (CSZ) and the Guinea Savannah Zone (GSZ).respectively. Conventional inputs such as land, seeds, insecticides, and tractor services positively influenced tomato production in GSZ, FSTZ and CSZ while farmers who were: male; formally educated; belonged to an FBO; and had access to extension services, were technically efficient in GSZ and FSTZ. In CSZ, female farmers and farmers producing tomato as a secondary occupation were more technically efficient. The study recommends that the private sector, including financial institutions, value chains, and NGOs as well as the government through MoFA should invest in FBOs, and also assist tomato farmers to access extension services and education to help eliminate technical inefficiencies in tomato production. Government should also help ease farmers ‘access to production inputs such as tractor, fertilizer, pesticides, and seed so as to increase tomato production in Ghana.