Yam Production in Nassarawa State, Nigeria; an Application of the Constant Elasticity of Substitution Production Function

This paper examined the Constant Elasticity of Substitution (CES production function in estimating the productivity, efficiency and elasticities of yam production in Nassarawa state, using a multi-stage random sampling procedure. The findings revealed that the mean yam production to be 6776.21kg per farmer, the average land cropped at 2.67 hectare, average capital involved was N44,586.10, the average number of labourers required at 42 manpower and average wage paid to labourers’ was N14345.17. The CES Production function estimated revealed a productivity of 17.94 which shows that the farmers are producing at an efficient level, the optimal distribution of input was 0.226031 of capital is required for 0.773 of labour, while our elasticity of production was 1.0699 shows that the factors capital and labour can be substituted since it is constant and implies that for an improved production, an increase capital utilization and reduction of wages paid for labour to reduce human drudgery which is interest in this research. We therefore recommend an intensification of capital inputs (machinery) use rather than human labour in yam production. Also, there is the need to consider other factors when designing policies to encourage an increase in yam production. Thus, for us to increase productivity there is the need to make policies that will encourage technology applications.