Is contract arrangement source of income gain among parboiled rice stakeholders in Benin? A doubly robust analysis

Rice supply remains insufficient for the world's consumption despite the agro-ecological potential, including the sub-Saharan African countries. The organization of the rice sector in Benin aims to a better profitability and above all in the increase in rice income of producers and processors. With this in mind, the objective of this study is to assess the impact of the contractual system on the earnings of parboiled rice stakeholders in the hill departments of Benin. For this reason, a random sample of 650 rice farmers spread over 400 producers and 250 processors made it possible to estimate of the Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR). The results of the estimates revealed that adherence to the agricultural contract as a function of socio-demographic factors such as human capital; gender; membership of an agricultural cooperative; have access to agricultural extension innovations and economic-institutional factors such as free entry into the market; access to quality agricultural products and access to credit. These results also confirm the positive effects of the acceptance of contracts on the parboiled rice income of the two actors. Adherence to agricultural contracts remains an effective agricultural policy likely to increase rice income in developing countries and in particular in the department of Collines which has a very high potential for arable land. The effective exploitation of these lowlands is a real source of increasing the rice supply in the perspective of insurance and guaranteeing better levels of food and nutritional security in Benin.