IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/tou/journl/v25y2007p27-44.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Technical Efficiency In The Mediterranean Countries’ Agricultural Sector

Author

Listed:
  • Nadia BELHAJ HASSINE

    (LEAD, Université du Sud Toulon-Var)

Abstract

This paper aims to estimate the technical efficiency of the agricultural sector in a group of Mediterranean countries involved in the process of global market liberalization. The analysis applies the stochastic production frontier model to a set of six different crop products. For each product, a panel data set covering the period 1990-2005 in fourteen Mediterranean countries is used and separate econometric results are obtained. Then cross-sectional country information is used, in the second stage, to assess the main factors contributing to technical inefficiencies and to explain efficiency differentials among Mediterranean countries. The empirical results revealed the presence of important inefficiencies in Mediterranean agricultural production with significant diversities across countries and crops. EU countries on average appear to have higher technical efficiency levels than SMC, among which some states such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan display substantial misallocation of resources. The results indicate that there exists scope for increasing crop production up to 50% in some regions through expanding irrigated areas, encouraging the mechanisation of the farmers and combating the land fragmentation.

Suggested Citation

  • Nadia BELHAJ HASSINE, 2007. "Technical Efficiency In The Mediterranean Countries’ Agricultural Sector," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 25, pages 27-44.
  • Handle: RePEc:tou:journl:v:25:y:2007:p:27-44
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://regionetdeveloppement.univ-tln.fr/wp-content/uploads/BelhajHassine.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ferrantino, Michael J. & Ferrier, Gary D., 1995. "The technical efficiency of vacuum-pan sugar industry of India: An application of a stochastic frontier production function using panel data," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 639-653, February.
    2. Coelli, Tim J. & Battese, George E., 1996. "Identification Of Factors Which Influence The Technical Inefficiency Of Indian Farmers," Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 40(2), pages 1-26, August.
    3. Pitt, Mark M. & Lee, Lung-Fei, 1981. "The measurement and sources of technical inefficiency in the Indonesian weaving industry," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 43-64, August.
    4. Schmidt, Peter & Sickles, Robin C, 1984. "Production Frontiers and Panel Data," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 2(4), pages 367-374, October.
    5. Bravo-Ureta, Boris E. & Pinheiro, António E., 1993. "Efficiency Analysis of Developing Country Agriculture: A Review of the Frontier Function Literature," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 88-101, April.
    6. Raghbendra Jha & Hari K. Nagarajan & Subbarayan Prasanna, 2005. "Land Fragmentation and its Implications for Productivity: Evidence from Southern India," ASARC Working Papers 2005-01, The Australian National University, Australia South Asia Research Centre.
    7. Antoine Bouët & Jean-Christophe Bureau & Yvan Decreux & Sébastien Jean, 2004. "La libéralisation agricole : des effets ambigus sur les pays en développement," La Lettre du CEPII, CEPII research center, issue 236.
    8. D.S. Prasada Rao & Christopher J. O'Donnell & George E. Battese, 2003. "Metafrontier Functions for the Study of Inter-regional Productivity Differences," CEPA Working Papers Series WP012003, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    9. U Pascual, 2001. "Soil Degradation and Technical Efficiency in Shifting Cultivation: The Case of Yucatán (Mexico)," Economics Discussion Paper Series 0116, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    10. Lilyan E. Fulginiti & Richard K. Perrin, 1998. "Agricultural productivity in developing countries," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 19(1-2), pages 45-51, September.
    11. Toshihiko Kawagoe & Yujiro Hayami, 1985. "An Intercountry Comparison of Agricultural Production Efficiency," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 67(1), pages 87-92.
    12. Battese, G E & Coelli, T J, 1995. "A Model for Technical Inefficiency Effects in a Stochastic Frontier Production Function for Panel Data," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 325-332.
    13. Hallam, David & Machado, Fernando, 1996. "Efficiency Analysis with Panel Data: A Study of Portuguese Dairy Farms," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Foundation for the European Review of Agricultural Economics, vol. 23(1), pages 79-93.
    14. Iraizoz, Belen & Rapun, Manuel & Zabaleta, Idoia, 2003. "Assessing the technical efficiency of horticultural production in Navarra, Spain," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 78(3), pages 387-403, December.
    15. Aigner, Dennis & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Peter, 1977. "Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 21-37, July.
    16. Lau, Lawrence J. & Yotopoulos, Pan A., 1989. "The meta-production function approach to technological change in world agriculture," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 241-269, October.
    17. Antonio M. Álvarez & Eduardo González, 1999. "Using Cross-Section Data to Adjust Technical Efficiency Indexes Estimated With Panel Data," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(4), pages 894-901.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Boris Bravo-Ureta & Daniel Solís & Víctor Moreira López & José Maripani & Abdourahmane Thiam & Teodoro Rivas, 2007. "Technical efficiency in farming: a meta-regression analysis," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 57-72, February.
    2. Vangelis Tzouvelekas & Konstantinos Giannakas & Peter Midmore & Konstantinos Mattas, 1997. "Technical efficiency measures for olive-growing farms in Crete, Greece," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 3(2), pages 154-169, May.
    3. Paul, Satya & Shankar, Sriram, 2018. "Modelling Efficiency Effects in a True Fixed Effects Stochastic Frontier," MPRA Paper 87437, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Satya Paul & Sriram Shankar, 2020. "Estimating efficiency effects in a panel data stochastic frontier model," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 163-180, April.
    5. Tim J. Coelli, 1995. "Recent Developments In Frontier Modelling And Efficiency Measurement," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 39(3), pages 219-245, December.
    6. Álvarez, Antonio, 2001. "Some Issues on the Estimation of Technical Efficiency in Fisheries," Efficiency Series Papers 2001/02, University of Oviedo, Department of Economics, Oviedo Efficiency Group (OEG).
    7. Giannis Karagiannis & Vangelis Tzouvelekas, 1999. "Measuring Technical Efficiency with Panel Data: Results from Competing Models," Working Papers 9914, University of Crete, Department of Economics.
    8. Martín Rossi, 2015. "The Econometrics Approach to the Measurement of Efficiency: A Survey," Working Papers 117, Universidad de San Andres, Departamento de Economia, revised Feb 2015.
    9. Karagiannis, Giannis & Tzouvelekas, Vangelis, 2009. "Parametric Measurement of Time-Varying Technical Inefficiency: Results from Competing Models," Agricultural Economics Review, Greek Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 10(1), pages 1-30.
    10. Bernini, Cristina & Cerqua, Augusto & Pellegrini, Guido, 2017. "Public subsidies, TFP and efficiency: A tale of complex relationships," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 751-767.
    11. Md Abdur Rouf, 2020. "Evaluation of Agricultural Projects by Parametric Cost Efficiency and Productivity-gap Approaches: An Empirical Study of Flood Control and Drainage Systems in the Southwest Coastal Area of Bangladesh," Japanese Journal of Agricultural Economics (formerly Japanese Journal of Rural Economics), Agricultural Economics Society of Japan (AESJ), vol. 22.
    12. Peter Dawson & Stephen Dobson & Bill Gerrard, 2000. "Stochastic Frontiers and the Temporal Structure of Managerial Efficiency in English Soccer," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 1(4), pages 341-362, November.
    13. Ali M. Oumer & Amin Mugera & Michael Burton & Atakelty Hailu, 2022. "Technical efficiency and firm heterogeneity in stochastic frontier models: application to smallholder maize farms in Ethiopia," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 213-241, April.
    14. Suzanne O’Neill & Alan Matthews, 2001. "Technical Change and Efficiency in Irish Agriculture," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 32(3), pages 263-284.
    15. Daniel Solís & Boris E. Bravo‐Ureta & Ricardo E. Quiroga, 2009. "Technical Efficiency among Peasant Farmers Participating in Natural Resource Management Programmes in Central America," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(1), pages 202-219, February.
    16. Goyal, S.K. & Suhag, K.S. & Pandey, U.K., 2006. "An Estimation of Technical Efficiency of Paddy Farmers in Haryana State of India," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 61(1), pages 1-15.
    17. I. Fraser & W. Horrace, 2003. "Technical Efficiency of Australian Wool Production: Point and Confidence Interval Estimates," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 169-190, September.
    18. MAIMOUNA DIAKITE & Jean-François BRUN, 2016. "Tax Potential and Tax Effort: An Empirical Estimation for Non-Resource Tax Revenue and VAT’s Revenue," EcoMod2016 9537, EcoMod.
    19. Saeid Hajihassaniasl & Recep Kök, 2016. "Scale effect in Turkish manufacturing industry: stochastic metafrontier analysis," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 5(1), pages 1-17, December.
    20. Farsi, Mehdi & Filippini, Massimo, 2009. "An analysis of cost efficiency in Swiss multi-utilities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 306-315, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY; AGRICULTURE; FRONTIER PRODUCTION FUNCTION;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
    • Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:tou:journl:v:25:y:2007:p:27-44. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Christophe Van Huffel (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/letlnfr.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.