Technical efficiency of dairy farming in northern dry zone of Karnataka: Status and determinants

The study was undertaken in Northern dry zone of Karnataka state with the objective to assess the technical efficiency of milk production with respect to different milch bovine species. The primary data on socio-economic aspects of milk production was collected from 240 milk producers from the study area. The Stochastic frontier production function analysis was used to estimate the technical efficiency in the milk production. The mean technical efficiency, which is a measure of relative efficiency, was estimated to be 85.27% for crossbred cows, 72.56% for local cows and 84.98% for buffaloes. The parameters like years of experience in dairying and education status of farmers exerted positive influence and had statistical significance with the technical efficiency of milk production in the region.