Application of Stochastic Frontier Production Function in Sugarcane Industry-treated Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture: Case Study of a Coastal District in Tamil Nadu, India

Karthick Radhakrishnan and Sukanya Das

Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, 2019, vol. 18, issue 2, 185-200

Abstract: Abstract Sugarcane is an important cash crop that grows in different agro-climatic zones: tropical and subtropical regions in India. It is the second-largest growing non-food crop in Tamil Nadu. Sugarcane mills generate waste at different stages of processing, which are bagassee, pressmud and wastewater. Managing and hand gripping of these wastes have been challenging tasks for the sugarcane industry. Wastewater generated by the sugarcane industry is rich in organic material such as carbohydrates and proteins, which enhance crop productivity. The present study aims to understand the farmers’ perceptions about the usage of sugarcane industry wastewater and measure the technical efficiency of the usage while also identifying the key determinants of sugarcane farming households. The primary survey for this study was conducted with 99 sugarcane farmers of Cuddalore district during January and February 2017. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed and pre-tested before final administration in the field. Out of 10 blocks in the district, 2 were selected. Within these blocks, six villages were chosen based on the extent of wastewater use in agricultural fields. Results showed that the farmers were not aware of the wastewater quality, and they believed it increased the productivity of sugarcane in the selected study location. For the land size, fertilisers are positively impacting the farm output and the price of sugarcane, but labour is negatively impacted. Results yield that the age and class of the respondents also have a direct relationship with the technical efficiency. JEL: Q12, Q25, Q53

Keywords: Wastewater reuse; sugarcane industry wastewater; Stochastic Frontier Function; technical efficiency; Cuddalore; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0976747918825019 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:artjou:v:18:y:2019:i:2:p:185-200

DOI: 10.1177/0976747918825019

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().