Official Publication of Direct Research Journal of Agriculture and Food Science: Vol. 8, 2020, ISSN 2354-4147 Direct Research Journal of Agriculture and Food Science Vol.8 (4), pp. 103-110 April 2020 ISSN 2354-4147 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26765/DRJAFS11422004 Article Number: DRJAFS11422004 Copyright © 2020 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article https://directresearchpublisher.org/drjafs/ Full Length Research Paper Towards rice self sufficiency in Nigeria: an analysis of technical efficiency of irrigated rice farms in Kebbi State Yahaya Kaka*, Abdullahi Auwal Gindi and Buhari Armiya`u Khalid Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, PMB 1144, Aliero, Kebbi State, Nigeria. *Corresponding Author E-mail: ykgw72@gmail.com Received 11 March 2020; Accepted 16 April, 2020 The study investigates technical efficiency of irrigated rice farmers in Kebbi State. Data from a total of 240 rice farmers were collected using multi-stage and simple random sampling procedures with the aid of structured questionnaire. The study employed descriptive statistics and a trans-log stochastic frontier production model in describing and analyzing the data. The results revealed that output is positively influenced by seed (0.456), herbicide (0.145) and labour (0.094). It was also revealed that education, farming experience, extension visit, credit access, seed variety and harvesting technology significantly reduces the technical inefficiency of producers. The mean technical efficiency of rice farms was 86.1% indicating that losses of rice output exist by 13.9% is due to inefficiency attributed to the farmers in the study area. It is concluded that farmers in the study area possesses inefficiency levels in their resource use, therefore, recommended that farmers should be encouraged to join cooperative society and extension services agents should intensify their efforts in training and mobilizing farmers for improved production practices of rice. Keywords: Analysis, technical efficiency, irrigated, rice farms, stochastic frontier INTRODUCTION The Nigerian rice sector is special within the West Africa context. Principally, rice is a cash crop in Nigeria produced primarily for the market. Hence, in rice producing areas, the enterprise provides employment for more than 80% of the inhabitants in various activities along the production/distribution chain from cultivation to consumption. Rice is now a structural component of the Nigerian diet and rice imports make an important share of Nigerian agricultural imports with considerable political interest in increasing the consumption of local rice Olorunfemi and Victor, (2006). Despite the fact that domestic rice production has increased in Nigeria since 1960s, given increases in rice land area, rice production has not been able to keep pace with rice consumption (demand). Nigeria’s inability to meet her rice consumption needs through local production has resulted in high cash outlays for importation. While progress has been made in increasing the hectares of land under rice cultivation, apparent declines in rice yield within the period has offset the gains in the harvest area. However, given the natural endowment of land, labour, available technologies, human and material resources, Nigeria should be self- sufficient in rice production. This will however depend on a sustained efficient use of production resources at the farm level. Regardless of the importance of Nigerian rice production even within the West African sub region, comprehensive and up-to-date information about the level of resource use efficiencies of the farmers in the study area is still lacking. Most of these studies focused primarily on the profitability of the enterprise, without in-