Authors
ABSTRACT
The Philippine aquaculture sector is primarily dominated by milkfish, with the province of Iloilo as one of the key producing areas. However, the production in the province has exhibited a decreasing trend since 2011. In this light, this study is undertaken to determine the technical efficiency of milkfish production in the province of Iloilo and identify the factors that significantly affect such efficiency. Utilizing the maximum likelihood estimation method, a Cobb-Douglas production function was specified to estimate farm-level efficiency using the data from 181 milkfish producers interviewed. The technical efficiency scores ranged between 12.38% to 90.00%, with a mean of 59.16%. Efficiency was negatively affected by the length of culture, while the source of stocking material, pond tenure status, and frequency of stock checking positively contributed to efficiency. The results of this study emphasized potential areas where the production efficiency of milkfish can be further improved.
