Cost Efficiency of Small Scale Sunflower Processors in Dodoma Region in Tanzania

This study was undertaken to analyse the cost efficiency of sunflower processing firms in Dodoma Region. The specific objectives were to: (i) analyse the level of cost efficiency, and (ii) determine the factors affecting the cost efficiency in small scale sunflower processors. Simple random sampling was employed to select 70 sunflower processors from Kongwa and Dodoma urban districts in Dodoma Region who were then interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis techniques included the collating field data and decomposing it into descriptive statistics and estimating translog cost frontier. Descriptive statistics showed that cost of raw materials accounted for 61.21% of total cost of production (whereby sunflower seed accounted for 94.5% of raw material cost, transport cost (5.1%), and storage cost (0.5%)) followed by cost of fixed assets (22.68%), overhead costs (11.45%), and labour (4.67%). The sunflower processing sub-sector is dominated by male (92.7%) compared to 7.8% of their female counterpart. Empirical results also indicate that the average cost efficiency of sunflower processors was 112%; however, this ranged from 110% to 129%. Additionally, the output elasticity and cost elasticities due to materials, energy and transport significantly affected the total cost of sunflower oil production. Formal education, type of machine used by processors, access to finance had positive effect on the Cost Efficiency (CE) while membership to processors’ association had negative effect on CE. In general, the study found that the high cost of production of sunflower oil was due to high sunflower seed prices and unreliable power supply which significantly affect sunflower processors’ in Dodoma Region. The study recommends a number of measures to enhance sunflower processing efficiency in the study area to include: improving processors’ skills through capitalizing on specific efficiency-enhancing trainings e.g. KAIZEN’s and TFDA’s; upgrading the type of machinery i.e. integrating the currently in use Chinese technology with the up-coming iii Indian technology; improvement of individual processor’s credit rating through relocation of plants to the municipality’s planned industrial area which well versed with requisite infrastructure (building, electricity, water etc.), expanding creditor base to include also non-bank and other informal lenders, building internal competencies for processors in developing their business plans in a manner that enables them to have better appraisal of their financial transactions.

本研究旨在分析多多马（Dodoma）地区葵花籽加工企业的成本效率。具体研究目标为：（一）分析成本效率水平；（二）明确小规模葵花籽加工企业成本效率的影响因素。研究采用简单随机抽样法，从多多马地区的孔瓜（Kongwa）区与多多马市区选取70家葵花籽加工企业，并通过半结构化问卷（semi-structured questionnaire）开展访谈。数据分析方法包括整理实地调研数据，并将其拆解为描述性统计分析与超越对数成本前沿（translog cost frontier）估计。描述性统计结果显示，原材料成本占总生产成本的61.21%（其中葵花籽占原材料成本的94.5%，运输成本占5.1%，仓储成本占0.5%），其次为固定资产成本（22.68%）、间接费用（11.45%）与人力成本（4.67%）。葵花籽加工细分行业以男性从业者为主，占比92.7%，女性从业者占比仅7.8%。实证结果同时表明，受访加工企业的平均成本效率为112%，区间范围为110%至129%。此外，产出弹性以及原材料、能源与运输相关的成本弹性，对葵花籽油生产的总成本具有显著影响。正规教育水平、加工企业所用设备类型、融资可得性均对成本效率（Cost Efficiency，CE）具有正向影响，而加入加工行业协会则对成本效率产生负向影响。总体而言，本研究发现葵花籽油生产成本高企的原因在于葵花籽收购价格高昂与电力供应不稳定，这两大因素对多多马地区的葵花籽加工企业造成了显著负面影响。本研究针对研究区域内葵花籽加工效率提升提出多项举措，具体包括：通过开展针对性的效率提升培训（如KAIZEN改善法与坦桑尼亚食品药品监督管理局（TFDA）的相关培训）以提升加工从业者技能；升级设备类型，即结合当前使用的中国技术与新兴印度技术；通过将加工厂搬迁至市政规划的工业园区，该园区具备完善的基础设施，包括厂房、电力、供水等，以提升个体加工企业的信用评级，同时扩大债权人范围，纳入非银行金融机构与其他非正规贷方，并帮助加工企业提升内部能力，制定合理的商业计划，以优化其金融交易评估能力。