AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF FARM PRODUCTION . FUNCTIONS FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT CEREAL CROPS IN DAKAHLIA GOVERNORATE

Cereal crops are considered to be of important crops in Egypt.
Therefore, the study is to estimate farm production functions for cereal crops
in Dakahlia Govemorate. The study depends mainly on the econometric
analysis using double log model of Cobb-Doglas function. Where. the non-
linear relationships converted into linear ones. so that the analysis can be
worked within the framework of the classical linear regression model. Multiple
and stepwise multiple regression analysis are used to explore the statistical
relationships between output and inputs. The analysis depends on data
collected by personal interview with sample of producers during 2005 at
Dakahlia Governorate.
The results show that the most important factors which affected the
production of wheat were seeds. nitrate fertilizer. and im'gation water. While,
human work. phosphate fertilizer and irrigation water were the important
factors responsible for enhancing the rice production. Also, the study
indicates that human work. nitrate fertilizer. potassium fertilizer and irrigation
water were the most important resources contributed much to increasing the
maize production.
Regarding function elasticity estimates. the production function of
Maize has increasing return to scale. where the total elasticity of production
function was 1.156. While, the production functions of Wheat and Rice have
decreasing return to scale. where the total production function elasticities for
wheat and rice estimated about 0.935 and 0.994, respectively, by using
stepwise multiple regression method. The results also show that the
producers of wheat and rice use their resources efficiently, while the
resources are used inefficiently in maize production so there is an urgent
need to reorient ate policies to ensure efficient use of agricultural resources in
maize production.