Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Catfish Production in EkitiState of Nigeria

The study investigated the technical efficiency of catfish production in Ekiti State of Nigeria and explored their determinants. Primary data were collected from 120 catfish farmers.  Descriptive statistics was used to explain the socioeconomic and the enterprise characteristics of the respondents. The stochastic frontier approach was employed in analyzing the efficiency indices and their determinants. The results showed that Youths that were under 45 years account for majority of the respondents. The study accentuated the important need of women participation in catfish production. All of them attended schools at different levels which should be a boost to managerial abilities of the fish producers. Almostall the farmers (96%) adopted the earthen pond method rather than the concrete pond system because of issues relating to cost. About 89% of them had a stock capacity that ranged between 500 and 1000 fingerlings which stipulated that most of them were small scale operators. Only two of the efficiency correlates were significant. These are stock capacity and quantity oflabour. The return to scale was 0.136 which suggested that catfish farming was still a profitable venture. Fairly high inefficiencies were established in many of the farms and improvement of these was very possible if the fish farmers making up this number adopted the techniques of more efficient farms in the area.