http://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/47 2026-04-07T19:09:48Z http://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/74915 Título: Price relationships and market integration: a Northeast of Brazil case study Autor(es): Mayorga Mera, Ruben Dario Abstract: This dissertation explores price interdependence among the wholesale tomato markets in Northeast Brazil. The markets for tomatoes have recently increased in importance both for producers in the Serra da Ibiapaba and for consumers in the capital cities of Fortaleza, Teresina, and São Luis. The markets in these cities include a range of entrepreneurs from small and poorlycapitalized middlemen to large truck owners and integrated urban wholesalers with various categories between these extremes. The inherent risk involved in vegetable markets due to price variations, perishable commodities and insufficient local infrastructure determine the behavioral strategies of farmers and intermediaries. To determine whether prices in a specific market behave interdependently with prices in other markets, the Granger causality method was applied using weekly price data for wholesale markets in Fortaleza, Teresina and São Luis. The results of this dissertation support, in general terms, the conclusion that prices in the wholesale markets of Fortaleza, Teresina and São Luis function as integrated (markets, implying a competitive nature of the Northeast tomato market. Statistical evidence suggests that Fortaleza operates as a central market "driving" the prices of Teresina and São Luis. The lack of directly contemporaneous causality between Fortaleza. and São Luis indicated the presence of imperfections in these markets. This results were expected due to the strategies of intermediaries who increase prices as a means to cover possible payment default in Sao Luis, and the lack of bargaining power of intermediaries in Fortaleza. Also, the longer distance that separates these markets may cause price adjustment in time periods different than contemporaneous. Other studies suggest that governments have a role in promoting competition among markets and monitoring and implementing plans created to improve the marketing system. Market imperfections in the system can be reduced by adequate market information to diminish the risk associated with intermarket trade. In the tomato markets of Northeast Brazil policies promoting increased supply during the winter season and enforcing payment of the commodities commercialized in the CEASAs are needed simultaneously with technical measures to provide high quality seeds and facilitate storage. Tipo: Tese 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/74896 Título: A Função de produção da agropecuária brasileira: diferenças regionais e evolução no período 1975-1985 Autor(es): Silva, Luiz Artur Clemente da Abstract: The main objective of this study was to verify the contribution of the factors of production in the Brazilian agriculture in 1975, 1980 and 1985, using Cobb Douglas and Ulveling-Fletcher type production functions. Specificaly, the aggregated production functions for the Brazilian agriculture and four from its regions were estimated. The data used came from the 1975, 1980 and 1985 agricultural censuses; the 1970 and 1980 demographic censuses; and, special tables of the 1985 agricultural census. The observations are 300 homogeneus microregions integrating the Northeast, Southeast (without the state of São Paulo), the state of São Paulo and Southern regions of the country. The value of agricultural gross product (VP) was the dependent variable of the functions. The explanatory variables were: labor (EH), cropping land (AL), pasture land (AP), land under forests (AM), capital in culture (CC), capital in livestock (CA), value of installations and other constructions, machinery and agricultural equipments (VI), expenditure with fertilizers and correctives (DA), expenditure with livestocks (DM), other expenditures (OD), literacy rate (ESC1), urbanization (URB) and land price (PRT). The results obtained indicate that the production factors which contributed the most for the determination of the gross product value in 1985 were: labor, other expenditures, land price and cropping land. In 1980, the main production factors were: labor, capital in livestock and other expenditures. Finally, in 1975, other expenditures, labor, capital in livestock and cropping land were the most important production factors. Among the production factors included in the models, aggregated labor (EH) as well as its desagregated forms, EHF (family labor) and EHA (hired labor), became the most important ones in the formation of gross product value. Their coefficients of elasticity were allways positive and highly significant for all the models adjusted over the three years. They were followed by capital in livestock, land price and cropping land, in decreasing order of importance. A low marginal productivity per invested cruzeiro was found for fixed capital (CC, CA and VI). Those values were not high enough to compensate for depreciation and services on invested capital. On the contrary, the production factors corresponding to operating capital (DA, DM and OD) presented marginal productivities greater than one in most cases. The production functions estimated for the regions were highly significant at the 5 percent level. However, they presented serious multicolinearity problems. It was also found that the marginal productivity of hired labor in the State of Sao Paulo is approximately 2,2 times larger than the one for the Northeast region, 3,9 times that of Southeast region and close to 1,2 that the of Southern region. This fact is due to the high degree of mechanization and the use of modern inputs in São Paulo's agriculture. It was also determined that the aggregated Brazilian agriculture showed technical change bettween 1975 and 1985, as well as constant returns to scale in 1975, 1980 and 1985. Finally, it was observed that Ulveling-Fletcher fitted models very well, but their goodness of fit was not different from that of the Cobb-Douglas models. However, the Ulveling-Fletcher model permited to verify that the elasticity of cropping land is positively affected by land price and by urbanization. In addition, the elasticity of labor is affected by the average literacy rate in the microregions. Tipo: Tese 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/74893 Título: Valor econômico da água para irrigação no semi-árido cearense Autor(es): Pinheiro, José César Vieira Abstract: This study is the result of an attempt to evaluate the current irrigation water distribution and price setting criteria in a irrigation project located in the semi-arid region in the State of Ceará, Brazil. The value of water was calculated using estimated short-run demand curves. These curves were obtained from empirically determined production functions for selected crops. The empirical part of the study was conducted in the `Guru-Paraipaba' Irrigation Project using data collected for the 1995/96 crop season. This work also estimates the indirect effect of a few social-economic characteristics of the farmers, such as education, age and the level of technology on the production. In the scheme prevailing, a public company distributes the water according to a given, per hectare, average consumption and the rate is determined to a level that recovers the operational costs. There is no exclusivity in the water use. The returns of the different crops as well as the farmers' willingness to pay are not considered in the allocative criteria. The results from a simulation show that crops prices directly affect the water value. Thus, considering that the water is scarce in the semi-arid region, an alternative to increase its value could be obtained through the irrigation of high price crops. The study shows that the efficient rate for water in the project would be R$ 140.61 / thousand cubic meter. The coconut would be strongly stimulated through the redistribution of water from sugar-cane and papaya. The comparison of the actual water use with the distribution suggested by the model indicates that 36.6% of the water is being allocated in the wrong crop. This is an indication of the current level of inefficiency. If each crop received the optimal quantity of water, the gross production value would increase significantly. The receipt generated by the payment for the water would be more than enough to cover the cost of operation and maintenance. This study is particularly relevant in the semi-arid region of the State of Ceara, where the water is scarce and the agriculture depends on the irrigation in the periods. This confirms the results obtained in several studies of economic evaluation of irrigation projects in the northeast region of Brazil. Many of them show modest returns and did not adequately remunerate the factors of production used. Tipo: Tese 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/74753 Título: Análise espectral de ciclos de comércio agrícola do Brasil Autor(es): Lemos, José de Jesus Sousa Tipo: Tese 1983-01-01T00:00:00Z