Date of Graduation

5-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Agricultural Economics (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness

Advisor/Mentor

Michael R. Thomsen

Committee Member

Jennie H. Popp

Second Committee Member

Arben Musliu

Keywords

Data envelopment analysis, Efficiency measurement, Kosovo, Raspberries, Stochastic frontier analysis

Abstract

Raspberry production is a growing industry in Kosovo. In addition to private investments, this growth has been supported by grants, subsidies, and direct investment from international donor organizations and governmental institutions. At present, most of the commercially produced raspberries in Kosovo are produced on small farms, harvested by farmers and packed manually by collection centers, and then sold in frozen form for the export market. The long-term viability and continued growth of raspberry production in Kosovo depends on the industry being able to compete in export markets and hold its own against production regions in Poland, Serbia, and Russia. Our study measures the efficiency of Kosovo raspberry producers with an aim towards enhancing industry competitiveness. We collected primary data on raspberry farmers in Kosovo during the summer of 2016. Using these data, we examine producer efficiency using different efficiency frontier methods. Our findings suggest that efficiency improves with production experience and that outreach efforts could emphasize labor management and better allocation of plants per hectare.

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