Technical efficiency OF Catfish Production among small holder Farmers in Anambra State of Nigeria

This study was carried out to investigate resource use efficiency of catfish production in Anambra State of Nigeria. A multi stage random sampling technique was used to select 120 catfish farmers in the State in the year 2015. Percentage response was used to determine the farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics and the constraints to catfish production. Maximum likelihood methods was used to address stochastic frontier and simultaneously the determinants. The results of the study show that level of education, farming experience and extension contact were positive and significantly related to technical efficiency while credit access had inverse relationship with technical efficiency. The mean technical efficiency was 0.44; the maximum efficiency was 0.97, while the minimum was 0.23. The constraints to catfish production in the study area were poor access to credit, poor fish breed, water pollution, problem of climate change and poor access to extension services. Policies aimed at encouraging both new entrant and older farmers into catfish farming through provision of improved production inputs, increasing farmers’ access to extension contact and educational programmes such as adult education, workshop and conferences were therefore recommended