Economic indexes of banana production (Musa Sp.) in the brazilian semiarid region

Abstract

Applying several economic indexes commonly used in national scientific research, we assessed the productive efficiency of banana crops in commercial areas of the Brazilian semi-arid region. The analysis of income, through economic indexes, provided an overview of the effectiveness of administration and workforce. The result of the multivariate analysis revealed (i) three independent groups composed by the total net profit, and (ii) a subgroup joined by the opportunity cost, the interest rate for the period from planting to harvest, and the leveling point. The best options for net return on banana propagation in the Brazilian semiarid region were (i) the use of conventional management, (ii) the cultivation of Pacovan cultivar propagated by rhizome without "ceva" and, (iii) use of the Dwarf Prata cultivar propagated by rhizome with "ceva". The economic resources applied to the banana production provided the best output among those evaluated since it exceeded four folds the obtained with the capital remuneration in the financial application.