Abstract
Pigeonpea is an important pulse crop in Maharashtra, contributing to farm income, food security, and the sustainability of rainfed production systems. The present study assessed the technical, economic, and allocative efficiency of sole pigeonpea cultivation in Amravati district of Maharashtra during 2025–26. Primary data were collected from 120 sole pigeonpea farmers selected from ten villages in five tehsils. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to estimate input-oriented and output-oriented technical efficiency under Constant Returns to Scale (CRS) and Variable Returns to Scale (VRS), together with cost-based economic and allocative efficiency. The mean input-oriented technical efficiency was 0.757 under CRS and 0.901 under VRS, while the corresponding output-oriented scores, expressed on a 0–1 scale, were 0.757 and 0.816. Mean economic efficiency was 0.632, and mean allocative efficiency was 0.846. The results show that technical and cost efficiency are distinct dimensions of farm performance: technical efficiency concerns the ability to obtain the maximum feasible output from a given input bundle, whereas economic efficiency additionally incorporates prevailing input prices and cost minimisation. The empirical results should therefore be interpreted as relative, sample-specific efficiency measures with respect to the DEA frontier rather than as absolute measures of agronomic potential or profitability. The study provides evidence of scope for improving resource use and cost performance among sole pigeonpea farms in the study area.