An Investigation on Scale, Efficiency and Integrated Advantages of Rain-fed Crops (case study: Mazandaran Province)

  H. AMIRNEJAD^1* AND H. RAFIEE 2

  1-Assistant Professor of Agriculture Economics, Sari Agricultural and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran.

  2- Ph. D. Student of Agriculture Economics , Tehran University , Tehran, Iran

  Received: Accepted:

  ABSTRACT

  Development in crop production and improvement of its related efficiency in terms of resultant yield can facilitate achieving of self sufficiency as a major goal. In this study, three indices of efficiency, scale and integrated advantages (together as a comprehensive index of comparative advantage) were computed for rain-fed crops of Mazandaran province in order to determine the crop cultivation priorities based on the availabilities of its related limited sources in this province. According to the results, production of rain-fed crops in different regions showed the scale, efficiency and integrated advantages as 57.28, 64.08 and 64.08 percent, respectively, which means higher comparative advantage compared to its average value in the province. In contrast to the efficiency advantage, scale advantage for several crops such as beans, cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, potato, onion, tomato, cucumber, maize, clover, soybean and canola in Mazandaran, showed higher value in comparison with the average of the country. Thus, in can be concluded that by keeping the same farm land area, increasing of productivity by improvement of yield production techniques would be the most proper way to pace. Furthermore, calculated value of integrated advantage index suggests that this province benefiting from comparative advantage for tobacco, sugar cane, potato, onion, cucumber, maize, clover, soybean and canola production.

  Keywords : Scale advantage, Efficiency advantage, Integrated advantage, Rain-fed crops, Mazandaran.