ECONOMIC PROFITABILITY AND AGREGATION OF AMARANTH CULTURE VALUE (Amaranthus spp.) IN TOCHIMILCO, PUEBLA, MEXICO

Abstract

The production of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), in Tochimilco, Puebla, Mexico, is the basis of the municipal economy. Although it is practiced under peasant agriculture conditions, it is market oriented. The above, because there is no culture of consumption among producers, despite the nutritional properties that this grain has. Two cultivation systems are practiced: conventional and organic. In both systems, the crop is financially profitable for the producer, when depreciation of equipment and family labor are not considered. In general, the income obtained is higher than the costs. However, the results of the VAN, TIR and RBC profitability indicators through an eight-year projection, with an update rate of 12%, indicate that the practice of the conventional system is not profitable with a NPV of -$22,818, an IRR of -11% and a RBC of 0.7. However, for the producers it means an important inflow of resources because they do not consider family labor costs and the depreciation of their assets. For its part, the organic system leads to a more efficient practice and better use of resources. The cost of production per ton of organic product is 31% lower than the conventional system, the yield is 11% higher (1.9 t ha^-1 compared to 1.7 t ha^-1) and is profitable in the long term, with NPV of $2,765, IRR of 15% and RBC of 1.5. When value is added to production through trapping, the profitability of both systems increases; RBC of 1.5 for the traditional system with trapping, and RBC of 2.10 for the organic system with trapping.