Abstract:

This study evaluated technical efficiency of honey and beeswax production in Kaduna State, Nigeria: Implications for climate and food security sustainability. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. A total sample size of 120 honey and beeswax producers were used. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured and well-designed questionnaire. Analytical tools used were: descriptive statistics, farm budgeting techniques, stochastic production frontier model, and principal component model. The results show that 75.83% of honey and beeswax producers were less than 50 years of age. The mean age of honey and beeswax producers was 45 years. About 92.50% of honey and beeswax producers had formal education. The average household size was 7 members per household. Also, 65.84% of honey and beeswax producers had less than 11 years farming experience in beekeeping. The gross margin and net farm income of honey and beeswax production per cycle was calculated at 924, 235.00 Naira and 891, 850.00 Naira respectively. This shows that honey and beeswax production was profitable in the study area. The significant predictors influencing technical efficiency of honey and beeswax production were labour input, bee feed and sugar syrup, land size, number of beehives, quantities of antibiotics and vaccine, and cost incurred in honeybee pest, diseases, and predators control. The socio-economic predictors influencing negatively the technical inefficiency of honey and beeswax production were age, gender, household size, educational level, experience in beekeeping, and member of cooperatives. The average technical efficiency score for honey and beeswax producers was 0.5630 leaving a gap of 0.4370 for improvement. The constraints faced by honey and beeswax producers were lack of modern equipment’s, lack of credit facilities, inadequate extension services, inadequate training and capacity building, transportation problem, and disease, pest and predator attack. The study recommended that modern beekeeping equipment’s should be provided for honey and beeswax producers for increased productivity, training and capacity building should be organized for honey and beeswax producers for increased efficiency and productivity.

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