Technical Efficiency Estimation of Dairy Farming in Kosovo

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to assess the technical efficiency (TE) of milk production in Kosovo using the stochastic frontier analysis. Research data are collected through surveys from 100 commercially oriented dairy farmers. The study finds that TE of milk production by most of these farms is high. Using the Cobb-Douglas production function, individual measures of TE range from 0.87 to 0.98 (on a scale of 0 to 1.00) with the average being 0.95. There were 57 farms with TE greater than 0.95 and 35 farms with TE less than 0.95. In the study’s sample, female dairy farmers have roughly the same mean TE of 0.95 as male dairy farmers. The variation in milk production among the sampled farms was modeled in terms of concentrate and forage feed costs and pre-production costs. The study suggests that concentrate feed and pre-production costs can significantly influence TE of milk production among Kosovar dairy farms.

Keywords

• kosovo
• milk production
• stochastic frontier analysis
• technical efficiency