El sector del arroz en España: ventajas comparativas entre las distintas zonas productoras

El nuevo entorno institucional configurado a partir de la entrada de España a la CEE ha afectado de forma positiva al sector del arroz español. Sin embargo, no es aventurado predecir, a la vista de las presiones que se desarrollan en el seno del GATT, una futura liberalización del mercado internacional del arroz, con incidencia para España. En este trabajo se analiza la capacidad del sector productor de arroz en España para hacer frente a los desafíos de un entorno institucional más competitivo. En una primera parte se resumen las principales características de las zonas arroceras españolas. A continuación se presentan estimaciones de los costes de producción de arroz, obtenidos a partir de encuestas realizadas a agricultores en las distintas zonas productoras, Extremadura, Sevilla, Tarragona y Valencia. Esta información permite identificar las principales restricciones del cultivo, así como estimar la ventaja comparativa de cada una de las zonas productoras. El cálculo de los márgenes brutos del cultivo realizado más adelante permite analizar la incidencia de la eventual alteración del marco institucional vigente. Los resultados del trabajo indican que existen tres circunstancias que afectan negativamente a la competitividad del sector del arroz en España y dificultan su desarrollo en el futuro: a) una inadecuada estructura productiva, b) la escasez y encarecimiento del agua de riego, y c) las restricciones medio ambientales. No obstante, estas tres circunstancias no afectan por igual a todas las zonas productoras

Profitability Analysis of Selected Farms in the Batinah Region of Oman

The agricultural sector of Oman represents less than 2% of the total GDP and uses 88% of the fresh water. Several decision makers are questioning whether the agricultural activity in the Sultanate of Oman can be sustained and if so what type of crops should be encouraged. More than 53% of the agricultural cropped area is situated in the Batinah coastal area where farming is exclusively based on groundwater pumping. A sample of 49 market-oriented farms from the Batinah region was surveyed during 2006. Four types of farms were considered. Results showed that the most profitable farms are mixing fodder crops and vegetables with a net margin of 1,412 RO/ha/year. The less profitable farms are based on tree crops and vegetables with a net margin of 847 RO/ha/year. For vegetables the most profitable crop is tomato with an average net margin of 2,580 RO/ha/year with a standard deviation of 2,043 RO/ha/year and the least profitable crop is cabbage with 113 RO/ha/ year with a standard deviation of 182 RO/ha/year. The net margin of crops grown under drip irrigation is higher than that for crops under furrow irrigation, with a difference of 548 RO/ha/year. Farms equipped with such modern irrigation systems tend to irrigate almost the same area in winter as in summer, while farms under furrow irrigation crop less than one percent of their cropped area during summer compared to winter. Consequently and contrary to expectations, modern irrigation systems tend to increase, rather than reduce, groundwater pumping given the financial incentives for farmers to grow summer vegetables instead of only winter vegetables. Even so, the net water use efficiency is greater for vegetable production under drip irrigation than it is for fodder production. The figures show that, on average, farming in the Batinah is financially profitable for the types of farm considered in this study. However, profitability varies widely between different farms and crops. The reasons for these differences are technical, as observed in the big differences in yield among crops, and economic because the prices received by farmers differ significantly