Alocação de recursos em dois grupos de propriedades cacaueiras do município de Ilhéus, Bahia

Abstract

This research investigates the Resource Allocation ipto two groups of Cocoa Enterprises at Ilhéus Country, Bahia, defi ned as such: 1. Group A - group of farms whose landowners live either at the farm or outside it although visiting it with intervals not more thit eight days; 2. Group B - group of farms whose landowners live outside the farm visiting it with intervals above eight days. The specific objectives of the study were: 1. To estimate the existing relationship between the le veis of usage of the productive factors and the levei of cocoa productLvity, in the two groups of farms. 2. To compare the estimated functions for the two groups of faimá. 3. To analyse the economic efficiency of the cocoa enterprises in the two groups of farms. The data were a cross-section concerning the agricultural years of 1978-1979, gathered through direct interviews in scverity-niite. farms. The mathematical model used was a Cobb-Douglas type production function, fitted through the technic of least squares, The ind-ipendent variable were: Cropped área with cocoa, investi ment in animais service, labor force, fertilizer, inseticide, fun gicide, capital and general expenditure. The dependent variable was tbe productivity of dry cocoa per hectare. Vhe estimated functions for the two groups of enterprises were: Oroup A: In Y - in 1,4639 + 0,1132 lnX\ + 0,0897 4wXg + 0,1411 4&X* « - 0,0846 £ftXn + 0,0237 £nX5 + 0,0263 £«&« + 0,1711 4&X? * + 0,1046 lnXB. íroup B: ín Y • Kn 1,9437 - 0,0082 InXi + 0,1093 lnX% 0,1022 lnX\ - - 0,0155 lnXk + 0,0008 lnX5 + 0,0968 lnX6 + 0,4834 InXi - - í,1836 £nX8. The statistical test has proved that there is not signiH cant difference in the productivity functions for the two groups &. «ingle production function for the two groups was es ti mate.i to explain the resource use as: in Y = In 2,3534 + 0,0278 lnXx + 0,0421 lnX2 + 0,1400 lnX-3 - - 0,0437 InX» + 0,0066 lnX5 + 0,0581 lnXs + 0,3297 lnX7 - - 0,0422 lnXB. The resources have not been used in their optimum levei, and better results can be reached with a better distribution of the resources. Capital (X7) was the production factor which appeared to be the raost important to determine the variation in the cocoa productivity, Fungicide (X6) is the factor which has supplied bígg".r return in the yield per hectare. Labor force is the factor has been used nearer the aconomic optimum. The farms as a whole operate the resources in the rational 611age of production with decreasing returns to the scale. The way the decision is taken does not affect the econo mie efficience of the farms. Researches should be made to determine the optimum quanti ty of input use, specially, fertilizer, fungicide and insecticide, and to identify the possible differences in behavior among the .lecision maker in the two groups of farms as well.