Comparative Analysis of Manual and Mechanised Costs of Rice Harvesting on Small Producers. A Case Study: Products of Nicoadala and Chókwe Districts Zambézia and Gaza Provinces (2008 -2012)

Abstract

In agricultural production, effective management of the various costs associated with production is a crucial factor in determining the profitability of the business. For that, it is necessary to apply available technologies for both the expansion of production areas as well as for the reduction of physical effort made by the producers. This study was conducted to evaluate to find out to what extent manual or mechanized costs of rice harvesting affects the income of small producers and recommend the least costly method for the practitioners of this culture in the districts of Nicoadala and Chokwe, sites selected for the study. The recommendations will also apply to other regions of the country where, it should be noted that the government has drawn up plans and actions to improve the living conditions of citizens by increasing production and productivity in producing rice; however, there are still many producers who practise agriculture in a very rudimentary form. To obtain data for the present study, quantitative analysis was used of the universe of the population of small producers, where it was concluded that the use of manual harvesting techniques by rice producers in Nicoadala district, is not linked to the existence or availability of local manpower but the lack of machinery for the provision of services to the producers. It was also concluded that the size of the area cultivated by rice producers did not affect the use of machines because there is adequate machinery for both areas less than 1 hectare to over 100 hectares. Therefore, it is recommended to the government and local businesses to take advantage of the opportunities for exploitation of machines, managing a profitable business, in addition to the need to encourage producers to adopt mechanized harvesting systems in order to reduce the costs of production and maximize the profitability of their business. The widespread adoption of mechanized harvesting by producers would make the production of this cereal in Mozambique, more competitive, both national and / or in regional level.