Production Efficiency of Turkish Beekeepers and Its Determinants

Abstract

The study examined the production efficiency of beekeeping in Turkey. The research data were collected from randomly selected 455 beekeeping businesses by using well-structured questionnaire. Two stage procedure was followed to calculate efficiency scores and explore the efficiency determinants. In first stage, efficiency scores estimated by using data envelopment analysis, while Tobit regression was performed to reveal efficiency determinants. Research results showed that the net income per colony was $140, on average, and the expenditures of per colony was are $61. Research results also showed thatthe mean technical efficiency was 0.84, while that of allocative and economic efficiencies were 0.75 and 0.62, respectively. The main efficiency determinants differed associated with the size of the beekeeping business. In small scale beekeeping business, the age of the beekeepers, management type, mobility and the number of colony affected the efficiency negatively, while credit use and income per colony had positive effect. However, participation the education program, marketing type, the number of colony influenced the efficiency negatively in medium and large scale beekeepers. Focusing on mixed management type and record keeping had the positive effect on efficiency in medium and large scale beekeepers. Orientation of small and medium size beekeepers to sustain beekeeping as a subsidiary sources of income and adopting the large scale beekeepers to mixed management type may increase the production efficiency in Turkey. © 2017, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco. All rights reserved.