Efficiency analysis in organic cattle fattening enterprises in Turkey: case of Ayvacik District of Canakkale Province

The aim of this study was to calculate the efficiency measurements of the enterprises affiliated to Organic Red Meat Producers Union in Ayvacik district of canakkale province where the organic cattle fattening activity is performed intensively and reveal the factors affecting the economic efficiency. The data were obtained from total of 31 producers affiliated to Organic Red Meat Producers Union in Ayvacik district of canakkale province in 2018. Data envelopment analysis was used in order to measure the efficiency in organic cattle fattening enterprises in the study. Carcass yields were found as 51.08% and 53.43% in native and cross breeds, respectively and it was found as 51.61% according to the average of the enterprises. In the research area, technical efficiency (CRS), pure technical efficiency, scale efficiency, allocative efficiency and economic efficiency were found as 0.918, 0.949, 0.968, 0.916 and 0.868, respectively. It was determined that 22.58%, 51.51% and 25.81% of the enterprises had decreasing return to scale, increasing return to scale and constant return to scale, respectively According to the variance analysis results, it was concluded that carcass amount, forage amount labor cost changed but fattening period and live weight gain did not change according to the return to scale groups. It was determined that the enterprises should decrease the forage amount, labor cost and fattening period in the ratios of 30.63%, 19.28% and 18.68%, respectively and increase the live weight gain in the ratio of %1.75 in order to be economically efficient. According to Tobit model results, it was determined that the fattening experience of the producer, daily live weight gain, forage plant land size, having training on fattening affected the economic efficiency positively whereas the land size of the producer affected the economic efficiency negatively.