Resource Use and Technical Efficiency of Apple by Translog and Stochastic Frontier Production Function in Himachal Pradesh

Apple is the most important temperate fruit crop of the north-western Himalayan region in India. It accounts for 46 per cent of the total area under fruit crops and 76 per cent of the total fruit production of Himachal Pradesh. The present study analyzed resource use and technical efficiency of Apple in Himachal Pradesh by taking the representative sample of 120 farmers from the four districts viz. Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu and Mandi. Result analyzed that R2 value in translog was found 76.4 per cent more than Cobb-Douglas production function due to three interaction terms were found significant in the translog production function. Mean technical efficiency was found 81.82 per cent by stochastic frontier analysis indicating the scope of improvement in variable controlled by farmers. Through simple linear regression, it was found that technical efficiency was positively related with age of farmer, education, family size and experience in farming and negatively with the farm size. R² value in linear regression was found 89.2 per cent which indicates that 89.2 per cent of the variation in the technical efficiency was due to the variable under study.