Rentabilidade e fatores sociais na suinocultura: um estudo em Santa Catarina

Abstract

The objective of this research was to carry out a socialeconomic study of hog raising production unities through the chacacterization of such UPs together with the economical analysis of both hog-taising and corn growing. This research was based upon an intentional sample of nine hog-raising farms, situated on the Western region of the State of Santa Catarina, wich are taking part in the so-called "Hog Revenue and Economlc Analysis of the Production System Program", developed by the Hog and Poultry National Research Conter of EMBRAPA, in Santa Catarina. To characterize such production unities, the multidimensional process was used, based on the concepts of production unity, forms of production organization, and integration to the agroindustrial complex. The economic study of both hog-raising and corn growing was based upon two types of production costs applied to hog-raising; in the first one, the price of the corn was considered according to market-rates, and in the second one, according to the rates of production costs calculated for each sample producer. The resulting data were subjected to analysis using the simplified model. Putting the results of both analyses together, the heterogeneity in the classification of hog-breeding production was noticed. Although two non-integrated producers have shown economic sucess, what happened with three integrated producers from seven ones, the study does not allow to conclude upon the effect of integration on economic success. This seems to be related to technological factors indeed Some alternatives were pointed out by the farmers to reduce costs in the activities developed in their UPs. Among these alternatives we can mention that: the use of corn, grown in their own farms, caused a decrease in the costs of hog feeding; the use of hog manure as an organic fertilizer allowed a reduction in the production costs of corn and other cultures, and; great concern was shown in keeping productive rates suitable to the hog flocks besides the rationalization used in allocating the work force to the activities in the UPs.