COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS OF ORANGE (Citrus sinensis) PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN NUEVO LEÓN, MÉXICO

Abstract

With the objective of identifying opportunities for commercial competitiveness in the citrus sector of Nuevo León, México, the competitiveness and comparative advantages of orange (Citrus sinensis) production systems was evaluated, with an emphasis on the irrigation system. The methodology of Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) was used, which includes a calculation of income, costs and profitability at private and economic prices, as well as the quantification of transfers provoked by government intervention and the existence of market imperfections. The PAM was built for production systems with flood, pump, spray, micro-spray and drip irrigation using information from the 2011 agricultural cycle, recording as results that private profitability in the systems was between $197 and $8,413 MX pesos ha^-1, which suggests that all the technologies are competitive, although only micro-spray and drip irrigation had a positive economic profitability of $10,271 and $16,586 MX pesos ha^-1 under conditions of economic efficiency, indicating comparative advantages between them. The effects of the sectorial and macroeconomic policy, and the existence of phytosanitary barriers do not generate protection or incentives for any technology, concluding that the citrus fruit production activity in Nuevo León is sustainable, although flood, pump and spray irrigation are inefficient with negative social profitability.