Investigating the Role of Improving Wheat Production Efficiency (Irrigated and Dry land) on Achievement Goals of the Sixth Five Year Development Plan in Iran

This study aimed to estimate different types of technical, allocative, cost, income and profit efficiencies by using mathematical planning models and secondary data reported by the Ministry of Agriculture-Jahad, of irrigated and rainfed wheat farming in 26 provinces of Iran. The results showed that the average technical efficiency was 0.97; however, inefficiencies in inputs allocation reduced the cost efficiency to 0.81. East Azerbaijan, Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Kurdistan, Golestan, Qom and Alborz provinces were on the efficient frontier in terms of technical, allocation and cost efficiencies. In terms of cost efficiency, the provinces of Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad (0.44), South Khorasan (0.56), Kermanshah (0.64) and North Khorasan (0.64) had the worst situation. According to the results, there was no significant difference between the studied provinces in terms of income and allocative efficiencies and the maximum productive capacity of the country through technical efficiency improvement was 336.3 thousand tons. This was equal to 7.3% and 0.9% increase in current production of dry land and irrigated wheat, respectively. It was expected that the reduction of dry-land wheat farming in Isfahan and South Khorasan provinces and in irrigated wheat farming in West Azerbaijan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad and Mazandaran provinces would play a significant role in improving income efficiency. According to the results, it was possible to increase profit in wheat farming up to 103.3%. Profit efficiency in wheat farming was 47.5%, indicating high technical efficiency (policy maker goal) and low profitability (farmers’ goal) was one of the important characteristics of wheat production in the country.