A produção de Helicônias no Estado do Ceará: aspectos econômicos, tecnológicos e competitivos

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the tropical floriculture in the State of Ceará focusing the helicônias production in the main municipal districts producing of the State, precisely making an analysis of the technological level employed in the production, as well as evaluating the profitability of the activity and the competitiveness in terms of efficiency of the producers, and finally the relationship of technological level and competitiveness. The research took place through collection of primary data through direct interviews with the producers in the municipal districts that they compose the metropolitan areas and the region of Baturité — State of Ceará, according to the cadaster of the Agriculture Irrigated Secretary - SEAGRI, during October 2002. To evaluate technological level, the helicônia production system was separated in seven technologies: propagation, use of the soils, manuring, cultural treatments, plants diseases control, administration, harvest and after-harvest; then technological indexes were developed separately for each an and for their group, based on the respective recommended technology, where the more close of the recommended technology, higher is the value of this index and, therefore better the technological level. The evaluation of the profitability was made by using the methodology of the Integrated System of Agricultural Costs - CUSTAGRI, and for competitiveness analysis it was used the efficiency indicators as prices and costs, and profitability indicators as operational profit and profitability index. To verify the relationship between the technological level and the competitiveness a simple regression it was used by the method of the Ordinary Square Minimum - MQO, where the competitiveness was analyzed as variable dependent of the technological level. The main obtained results shows that the technological level of helicônia production is considered good, and the technology of use of soils presents better indexes, while in the technology of plants diseases control, was found the lowest indexes. Concerning to the profitability, the helicônia production is a profitable activity, involving low costs and could arrive to good profitability indexes. The technological level influences the competitiveness positively.