The relative efficiency of farming under tenancy systems in Bangladesh was
measured in this study. Thirty cash tenants and 30 share tenants were randomly
selected for data collection through field survey method from Narayanpur and
Bhabokhali villages under Sadar upazila of Mymensingh district. The functional
analysis of the study was based on Boro rice. The land tenancy situation in rural
Bangladesh was explored in this study with a reasonable high incidence of
owners who cultivate their own land in comparison to owner-cum-tenants and
tenants. A number of tenurial arrangements including sharing agreements were
also revealed in the study villages. Share tenant farmers earned significantly
lower net return (Tk. 19,252.18) than the cash tenant farmers (Tk. 22,815.89) from
Boro rice production. However, Boro rice production was profitable from the
viewpoint of both tenant operators. Finally, the study tested and confirmed that
all the explanatory variables (key production inputs) included in the CobbDouglas
revenue type production function model were important for explaining
the variations in gross returns under both tenancy arrangements.