Factors influencing the efficiency of cocoa farms: A study to increase income in rural Indonesia

Indonesia is the fifth largest cocoa-producing country in the world, and an increase in cocoa farming efficiency can help farmers to increase their per capita income and reduce poverty in rural areas of this country. This research evaluated the efficiency of Indonesian cocoa farms using a non-parametric approach. The results revealed that the majority of cocoa farms are operated relatively inefficiently. The average technical and allocative efficiencies (0.82 and 0.46, respectively) of these cocoa farms demonstrated that there is potential for improvement. The potential cost reductions range from 36 to 76%, with an average of 60%, if farmers practice efficiently. The technical and allocative efficiencies and cocoa farm economies are affected by the use of quality seeds, organic fertilizers, frequency of extension and training of farm managers, access to bank credit and the market, the participation of women, and the farm manager’s gender. An increase in the output would increase farmers’ income and reduce poverty in rural areas. This research suggests that the availability of extension and training provided to farmers as well as support for women farmer groups should be increased. Credit programs are also important for cocoa farmers, so policymakers should develop programs that make production credit more accessible for farmers, especially through cooperatives and banks.

印度尼西亚是全球第五大可可生产国，提升可可种植效率可帮助该国农户提高人均收入，缓解农村地区的贫困状况。本研究采用非参数方法，对印度尼西亚可可农场的生产效率展开了评估。研究结果显示，绝大多数可可农场的运营效率相对偏低。这些可可农场的平均技术效率（technical efficiency）与配置效率（allocative efficiency）分别为0.82和0.46，表明其仍具备较大的效率提升空间。若农户采用高效运营模式，潜在成本降幅可达36%至76%，平均降幅为60%。优质种子的使用、有机肥的施用、农场管理者的推广培训频次、银行信贷与市场渠道的可获得性、女性参与度以及农场管理者的性别，均会对技术效率、配置效率以及可可农场的经营效益产生影响。提升产出水平可增加农户收入，进一步缓解农村贫困问题。本研究建议，应加大面向农户的农技推广与培训支持力度，同时完善对女性农户群体的扶持举措。信贷项目对可可种植农户同样至关重要，因此政策制定者应出台相关方案，通过合作社与银行等渠道，降低农户获取生产信贷的门槛。