Abstract

In the recent past, cricket production has attracted a myriad of interests in the Global Food Sector. However, low production, limited input resources and rearing systems constrain the utilization of crickets. Scanty information exists on sundry input resources for upscaling of cricket production and how such inputs can be efficiently managed. This study sought to determine economic efficiency of improvised cricket rearing system using a generalized additive stochastic frontier approach (GAM-SFA) to assess the efficiency in cricket production under the new technology. Twenty-day old Acheta domesticus and Gryllus bimaculatus were separately reared in improvised cage system comprising bamboo hideouts, scrap blankets, cut bamboo stems and the plywood-based cages. GAM-SFA was used to estimate efficiency scores. Results revealed that the production was efficient. Feed, labor and water were positive and significant at 5% suggesting their importance and positive influence on cricket output. Similarly, the cost of feed, labor, water and scrap blanket were positive and significant suggesting that increase in these costs of inputs would increase the total cost. The mean TE, AE and EE were 85, 92 and 79%, respectively implying that there still exist potential to increase output using present technology and costs of production. Assessing key determinants of economic efficiency in cricket production under the system is necessary.

Key words: Economic efficiency, crickets, GAM-SFA, improvised system.