Estudo econômico da utilização de diversos sistemas de mecanização agrícola em pequenas unidades de produção rural

Abstract

The objective of this research was to provide an economic study of the application of different types of agricultural traction in small units of rural production in Itumirim, a county located in the State of Minas Gerais. The data of this study were obtained through a direct interview and refer to the agricultural year of 1985/86. The selected products were: rice, beans, and corn, and these products were chosen because they were the most cultivated ones. The types of traction were found as follows: manual, manual-animal, manual-mechanical, manual-mechanical-animal, and the most used system was the manual-animal traction. The results showed that the manual-mechanical and the manual traction system were the ones that proved to be the ‘”most” and the 'least' productive, respectively to rice and beans; and as for corn, the most productive system was the manual-mechanical-animal traction and the least productive was the manual-mechanical system. The total average cost was less for the manual-animal system and more for the manual traction system. The variable average costs showed to be the ones which most influenced on the composition of the whole cost per unit. Manual labor, fertilizers, the rental of machinary and equipments as well as the rental of labor animais and implements were found to be the items which contributed the must though. Improvements, labor animals machinary and equipments wer found to be the fixed cost items wich most burdened the total average cost. The manual-mechanical and the manual-mechanical-animal traction system for rice production, were not profitable, but with an average income to cover the variable production costs and part of the fixed costs; then, the production is feasible in a short-run, and if the situation remains the same, the capacity of production will have to be reduced. The manual traction system used to cultivate rice and beans, presented an average income not enough to cover the operational costs with is an indication to producers who use such a technology to change the system in order to search for more profitable investments. The use of the manual traction system for corn plantation covered operational costs although it was not the same for rice and beans. The manual-animal traction system for the corn and beans plantation showed the positive average profits. Although it was not positive for rice production, the manual-animal traction presented positive results altogether; therefore the use of this system proved to be economically feasible. Corn high production level was determined by the utilization of the mechanical manual-animal system, and all of the production units researched did not show any better levels than that. It was determined the break-wen analysis of the manual-animal and the manual-mechanical-animal traction system for the plantation of rice, beans and corn, and the manual mechanical for the plantation of beans, in average 48,52% of the farmers over leveled their own level points.