PRODUTIVIDADE TOTAL DOS FATORES NAS PRINCIPAIS LAVOURAS DE GRÃOS BRASILEIRAS: ANÁLISE DE FRONTEIRA ESTOCÁSTICA E ÍNDICE DE MALMQUIST

The objective of this paper is to use the techniques of Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) to estimate the increase or decrease of inefficiencies through time, as well as the linear programming procedure Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist index in order to analyze the sources of changes in TFP in the main Brazilian grain crops – rice, beans, maize, soybeans and wheat – throughout the period 2001-2006. The results indicate that, although there have been positive changes in TFP for the sample analyzed, a decline in the use of technology has been evidenced for all the main Brazilian grain crops between 2005/2006 – period in which we observe a remarkable downfall in the use of inputs in Brazilian agriculture.