Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Economic viability of a citrus production unit in the city of Liberato Salzano in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

2017; Volume: 38; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4322/crt.icc046

2236-3122

Paulo de Tarso Lima Teixeira, Luis Pedro Hilleshein, Waltemir Bazeggio,

Agricultural and Food Sciences

A production cost survey for the 2015/16 crop season was carried out on a 24.5 ha farm within Liberato Salzano city, where dual-purpose oranges [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] are produced, such as Valencia, Folha Murcha, Do Céu, and Iapar. The operation also produces varieties for the fresh market, such as Baia, Monteparnazo, and Lanelate. Tangerines Caí and Montenegrina (Citrus deliciosa Ten.) are also cultivated, as well as Murcot hybrids (C. Sinensis (L.) Osbeck X C. reticulata Blanco] and Nova [C. paradisi Macfad. X C. clementina hort. Ex Tanaka]. Data was obtained by communicating with the producer directly and with the help of local extension organization, Emater. Price received for the fresh market fruit was R$ 0.90 per kg, which is double the price received for the fruit sold for the juice processing industry (R$ 0.47 per kg). Orange for processing was sold at a local association of citrus growers with certified FAIR TRADE to market juice concentrate to European countries with a price higher than the international market of juices. Operating estimated cost per hectare was R$ 1,200.56 (US$ 4,119.12) and the gross margin was R$ 5.433,40/ha (US$ 18,641,99/ha). For every R$ 1.00 invested in citrus the return was R$ 4.50. This analysis also considered the Pro-labore expenses of the three people working on the property and the opportunity cost for the 24.5 hectares cultivated with citrus. This operation yielded an annual income of R$ 78,024,91 and an income of R$ 3,184,69 per hectare per year. The study of this property, which is characterized as a family production unit, showed that citrus cultivation was profitable, even when considering the cost of the family’s own labor and also the opportunity cost of the land. The relevance of this work is to demonstrate to stakeholders the economic viability of citriculture in small rural units.