EFFICIENCY OF VEGETABLE PRODUCTION UNDER IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN ILORIN METROPOLIS: A CASE STUDY OF FLUTED PUMPKIN (Telferia occidentalis).

The study was carried out in Ilorin metropolis of Kwara State, Nigeria. It investigated the costs and return analysis of the respondents and the stochastic frontiers production analysis was applied to estimate the technical, allocative and economic efficiency among fluted pumpkin farming households in the metropolis. The result of the gross margin analysis showed that the average gross margin per farmer was ₦21,252. The results of economic efficiency also revealed an average of 0.904 while the mean technical and allocative efficiency were 0.978 and 0.925 respectively. Stochastic frontier production model showed that fertilizer and labour were found to be significant factors that contributed for the technical efficiency of the farmers while plot size and labour also were significant factors for allocative efficiency. The results therefore concluded that only years of experience and size of plot were the significant factors in the inefficiency sources model. On the basis of the findings, the study recommends that the government should provide conducive environment for the establishment of modern irrigation facilities for dry season farming, encourage more citizenry, especially the youths to practice dry season vegetable farming in a bid to alleviate poverty status and unemployment in the state and the country at large.