Abstract

Increasing the output of rice to match the growing demand for rice is a global challenge, and with growing world population, the need becomes more pertinent. For developing countries with high population density like Nigeria, the importance of rice in the food security status of the population cannot be questioned. Although the production of rice in Nigeria has been increasing over time, there is need to move towards sustainable land and water management. This has placed considerable demand to increase productivity per unit of land. The way in which the resources in rice production are utilized is a crucial pointer to the manager of a way to re-organize production to ensure higher productivity. This study examined resource use efficiency in rice production using the Cobb Douglass production function. Respondents for the study were randomly selected among farmers in the Lower Anambra Irrigation Project. The study showed that although rice production is profitable in the area, some resources were not efficiently being utilized. Recommendations for increasing the output of rice were proffered.

Key words:  Costs and return, gross margin, staple crop, production function.