Campo Futuro analyzes production costs of six crops

During the week of June 22nd to July 1st, the Campo Futuro Project carried out a survey of production costs for six crops: dairy farming, avocado, beef cattle farming, sugar cane, conilon coffee and grains. The events brought together, in virtual meetings, producers from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Acre, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Minas Gerais.

In addition to the state agricultural federations, the surveys were supported by the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (Cepea), the Market Intelligence Center of the Federal University of Lavras (CIM/UFLA) and the Continuing Education Program in Economics and Business Management (Pecege).

Avocado

The panel brought together avocado producers from the Piraju region (SP), on the 27th, and included the participation of representatives from the Agriculture Federation of the State of São Paulo (Faesp), the Rural Union of Piraju and technicians working in the region.

The modal property defined for the region has 30 hectares and productivity of 14,6 tons/hectare. The main cultivated varieties are Fortuna, Quintal, Margarida, Breda and Hass. According to the CNA's technical advisor, Letícia Barony Fonseca, the cost scenario presented in 2022 compared to a similar panel held in the same square in 2016, showed an increase of 157% in the Effective Operating Cost (COE), with the costs of conducting the orchard, which includes inputs such as fertilizers, correctives and pesticides, the main component of the increase, this with an increase of 178%.

Sugar cane

The panel brought together producers from Nova Olímpia (MT). According to data provided by participants, the region is characterized by large properties and manual planting is carried out in its entirety. The sugarcane fields have shown, on average, a productivity of 64 tons per hectare, with a raw material quality of approximately 140 kg ATR per ton of sugarcane and a yield of five cuts per production cycle. According to CNA's technical advisor, Eduarda Lee, in the current harvest, harvesting is 100% mechanized and should last until December, given the delays in starting crushing.

In terms of costs, the inputs that most impacted producers' disbursements were the expenditure on fertilizers, 61% of the COE, followed by the acquisition of seedlings 19% and the costs of herbicides 11%. From a management point of view, expenses related to the harvesting stage represented 25% of total costs.

Conilon coffee

The meeting was held on the 30th, in Cacoal (RO), with coffee growers and Technical and Management Assistance (ATeG) technicians from Senar/RO. The modal property was characterized by five hectares of productive area, family farming and an irrigated system, with cultural treatments and harvesting carried out manually. Producers reported that, with the increase in fertilizer prices, the volume applied was reduced, which resulted in a drop in average productivity, estimated at 50 bags per hectare.

According to technical advisor Raquel Miranda, compared to the panel carried out in 2021 for the same modal property, the disbursement with the main components of the production cost suffered significant increases, rising by 60% for labor and 141% with defensives. “For fertilizers, even with the reduction in the volume applied, the producer disbursed 36% more than in the previous year”, she declared.

Grains

In Campo Florido (MG), on the 30th, the preliminary results of the panel showed that yields for soybeans and corn are within expectations. For soybeans, the data showed a slight drop due to rain in the first two months of the year, with 55 bags per hectare being obtained on average. For corn 2nd harvest, good productivity is expected in crops sown within the window. In late areas, potential will be reduced due to water restriction and low temperatures. On average, the panel indicated a harvest of 80 bags per hectare of grain.

According to CNA's technical advisor, Tiago dos Santos Pereira, severe attacks by the corn leafhopper put downward pressure on productivity and increased insecticide costs by 132%. “Herbicide costs in corn have also increased significantly, by around 105%. On the other hand, sorghum has had greater prominence, showing expansion in area to the detriment of corn, mainly due to attractive prices and greater rusticity”, he highlighted.

dairy farming

The panels were held in Rio de Janeiro, in the municipalities of Macuco and Itaperuna, on the 27th and 29th, respectively. In the first, 50-hectare properties had an average production of 180 liters per day, with Girolando animals making up the majority of the herd. According to CNA's technical advisor, Guilherme Souza Dias, the revenue from milk made it possible to cover disbursements, pro-labore and renewal of equipment used in the activity, denoting its sustainability in the short and medium term.

“However, when calculating the remuneration of the capital invested in the activity, the revenue proved to be insufficient”, he stated. Among the items that weighed the most on the producer's pocket are concentrated feed and labor, which together accounted for 43% of the revenue obtained from milk.

In Itaperuna, a modal property of 50 hectares was characterized, with a daily production of 130 liters. The productivity of 1.480 liters/ha/year denotes a lower technological contribution, but the economic results of the enterprise were still superior to leasing the area for beef cattle.

According to Dias, the revenue from milk was enough to cover only the disbursements for the activity, with feeding the herd, compromising 35% of the amount received which, if added by labor, reaches 55%. “When depreciation, producer pro-labore and remuneration of invested capital are taken into account, the activity has been operating in the red, with the results making it impossible to renew equipment at the end of its useful life”.

beef cattle

The meeting took place in Xapuri (AC), on the 28th, with the objective of surveying production costs and estimating the economic results of the activity considering a modal breeding property (calf production) with approximately 200 sows. The data is being consolidated, however what was observed was that expenditure on mineral supplementation was the one that weighed the most within the COE, representing 35%.