RESOURCE-USE EFFICIENCY IN CASSAVA PROCESSING IN OYO NORTH AREA OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA

The resource-use productivities and efficiency in cassava processing into "Gari" and Cassava flour (Lafun) were examined in this study. The study was conducted in the Oyo North Area (food-belt) of Oyo State. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 100 cassava processors in the study area. The production function approach was used to estimate the cassava processing functions. The analysis revealed that cassava tubers were under-utilized for both 'Gari and "Lafun" production respectively and that credit and years of processing experience tended to have diminishing effects in their use in both "Gari" and "Lafun" production respectively. Capital and years of schooling also tended to have diminishing effects of Lafun production. There were increasing returns to scale in cassava processing both for "Gari' and "Infun 't with that of "Garit' being almost twice that of "Lafun", thereby implying that further expansion of the existing processing scale can lead to better efficiency among cassava processors.