Abstract:
The present study was undertaken to examine the resource use efficiency of coffee production in Kodagu district of
Karnataka. Kodagu district was purposively selected and three major coffee-growing taluks, namely Madikeri, Virajpet and Somvarpet, were included in the study. A sample of 90 coffee growers was selected, comprising 45 small farmers having less than 10 hectares and 45 large farmers having more than 10 hectares. Primary data relating to input use and coffee output were collected for the agricultural year 2024-25 through personal interviews. A Cobb-Douglas production function was used to estimate the production elasticities and returns to scale, while the Marginal Value Product to Marginal Factor Cost (MVP/MFC) approach was employed to assess resource use efficiency. At the overall level, the coefficient of multiple determination (
R2) was 0.89, indicating that 89 per cent of the variation in coffee output was jointly explained by the selected inputs. Human labour, nitrogen, potassium, irrigation and plant protection had positive coefficients, while manure and phosphorus had negative coefficients. The sum of the production elasticities was 1.02, indicating slightly increasing returns to scale. The overall MVP/MFC ratios were 1.02 for human labour, -1.90 for manure, 138.90 for nitrogen, -49.55 for phosphorus, 2.67 for potassium, 193.12 for irrigation and 5.31 for plant protection. Human labour was close to the economic efficiency level, whereas nitrogen, potassium, irrigation and plant protection showed scope for increased use. Manure and phosphorus required careful review because of their negative ratios. The results highlight the importance of input-specific resource allocation for improving the productivity and economic efficiency of coffee production in Kodagu.
