ANALYSIS OF THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR GROWTH USING MALMQUIST TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY INDEX FOR 165 COUNTRIES

This study was conducted to estimates the Malmquist productivity indices using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) for 165 countries over 8 regions and classified across 8 groups based on agricultural gross production value during the study period (1980-2007). The total factor productivity including and measure the efforts in the resource allocation, modernization, the technological change, and catch-up efforts in the agriculture sector in any country. While, Malmquist TFP index measures total factor productivity change between two data points by calculating the ratio of the distance function of each data point relative to a common technology. The data used in this study was drawn from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This paper also estimated the technical efficiency, technical efficiency change and technical change for countries in each group and for all those countries as one group.