Assessing the Efficiency of Wheat Producers in Dihdadi District

Abstract

Given the strategic importance of wheat production for the country's food security, this study aimed to analyze the efficiency of wheat producers in the Dihdadi district of Balkh province, Afghanistan, using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. The required data were classified using a random sampling method, and 295 questionnaires were collected in 2022. The results show that the average technical, allocative, economic, pure technical (management), and scale efficiencies are 0.858, 0.632, 0.541, 0.964, and 0.893, respectively. Based on these results, increasing the efficiency of wheat producers in this district can improve technical, allocative, economic, management, and scale efficiencies by 14.2%, 36.8%, 45.9%, 3.6%, and 43.6%, respectively. 16.95% of wheat producers operate with decreasing returns relative to the scale, 72.2% use with increasing returns relative to the scale, and only 10.85% operate at the optimal scale (constant returns to scale). Therefore, increasing the production scale is suggested to enhance rational efficiency. Recommendations, management, and policy contexts related to improving the efficiency of wheat producers can contribute to local economic and social conditions.