Inefficiency in Rice Production and Land Use: A panel study of Japanese rice farmers

本稿では、農林水産省『米生産費統計』のパネルデータを使用して、生産の効率性という視点からわが国の稲作生産者の行動を実証分析した。土地、労働、資本ストック、原材料の4つの生産要素からなるstochastic frontier生産関数を推定して、生産の非効率性指標を求め、その情報に基づいて非効率な稲作生産者と効率的な稲作生産者を識別して要素需要や稲作としての田の耕作利用率の特徴を比較した。要素需要については、非効率な生産者は、賃金に変化が生じても短期的にも長期的にも雇用の調整を行わず、労働投入水準が硬直的であることがわかった。また、区画の狭い圃場を多く保有する効率的な生産者ほど転作などにより稲作の耕地利用率を低下させ、生産性の向上を図っていることがわかった。しかし、本来経営規模拡大をめざし、農業経営の合理化をはかるべき認定農業者が、稲作としての耕地利用率を低下させて転作を進めており、しかも、その効果は効率的な認定農業者ほど大きいことがわかった。

In this study, an empirical analysis was conducted on the behavior of Japanese rice producers from the standpoint of efficiency in production by using the panel data of the Rice Production Cost Statistics by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The stochastic frontier production function, which comprises four production factors (land, labor, capital stock, and materials), was estimated and the inefficiency indices of production were calculated. Based on this information, the efficient and inefficient rice producers were identified, and the factor demand behavior and characteristics of the land use for rice production were compared. It was found that production-inefficient rice producers did not make any adjustments in employment in the short or long run, even if there was a change in the wages. The certified farmers, who are supposed to play a leading role in enhancing efficiency of agricultural operations, tend to lower the land utilization rate of rice production; moreover, the more production-efficient the certified farmers are, the larger the effects of such activities, which is the opposite of what was intended by policymakers.

Published: Ogawa, Kazuo, 2020. "Inefficiency in rice production and land use: A panel study of Japanese rice farmers," The Japanese Economic Review, Vol. 71, pp. 641-669.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42973-019-00015-w