The name is absent

214

► Large farms. Large farms in the northwest region since 1975 appear to have experienced rapid
growth in production of wheat (10.4 percent), soybeans (14.8 percent), and sunflowers (21.7
percent), and declining production in seed maize (-14.3 percent), coffee (-90.1 percent), and
tobacco (-14.9 percent). In the southeast region, production over the long term seems to have
grown most rapidly in wheat (23.2 percent), soybeans (23.9 percent), and burley tobacco
(73.4 percent).

In principle, the sum of growth rates for area and yield should equal that of production. Differences
in the tables arise at times due to missing values and rounding errors.

V. Noncommercial farms sector

Production data from the noncommercial farms sector are available from 1971 to 1985, though
with a gap from 1977 to 1981. Data on area for this sector are available only in the most recent years,
1982 through 1985. Since yield calculations require data on both area and production, yields can only
be calculated for the period 1982 to 1985.

Figure 7.4 depicts changes in the production of maize, groundnuts, millet, and cassava, and
suggests that for the noncommercial sector, the diversification story found in the commercial farms
sector does not apply. Indeed, the story seems to be precisely the opposite. Instead of a gradual
decline in maize production, a dramatic increase is apparent, and other crops generally appear to
decline over time.

Figure 7.4: Noncommercial farm production of maize,

millet, groundnuts, and cassava, 1971 to 1976

Source: CSO.

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