Traditional varieties of maize yields attained by farmers in Ghana are still far below the potential of the new varieties. This raises questions about the technical superiority of the new varieties over the traditional ones and whether the new varieties are being adopted in cultivation. The paper attempts to estimate the efficiencies of the improved varieties to the traditional ones with yield functions and factor payments. Determinants of adoption of new varieties and fertilizer are also assessed with binomial logit models. The results reveal that the plots planted with the traditional varieties have lower residual payments to fixed inputs than the new varieties, mainly due to low yields. It is evident from the results that only the third generation improved varieties have a higher technical efficiency than the traditional ones. Subsistence farmers, tenant farmers, and those in the forest zone are less likely to adopt the improved varieties and fertilizers. However, the study suggests that the performance of improved varieties can be enhanced with higher seed and fertilizer application rates.

The important cereals produced in Ghana are maize, rice, sorghum and millet. At the national level, cereals and cereal products come second only to roots and tubers, and account for 14.4% of total consumption of home produced food. In terms of cash expenditure, cereals and cereal products account for 15% of household food consumption (Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, 2002). Maize is by far the most important cereal in Ghana. Accroding to the 1998-1999 Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS), about 89% of the estimated 2.7 million farm households harvested maize. Sorghum and millets, as a group were harvested by 18% of households, while only 13% of households harvested rice (Ghana Statistical Services, 2000).

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