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Energy and cost analysis
of sultana grape growing: A case study of Manisa, west
Turkey
O. Murat Koctürk1* and Sait Engindeniz2
1School of Applied Sciences Manisa, Celal Bayar University,
Turkey.
2Department
of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Ege
University, Bornova-Izmir, Turkey.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
murat.kocturk@bayar.edu.tr.
Tel: +90.236.2371828. Fax: +90.236.2379510.
Accepted 18
September, 2009 |
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Turkey,
located on the most suitable place on earth for vinegrowing,
has a remarkably old and essential vinegrowing history as
well as being the centre of grape-vine gene. Turkey’s share
in grape production area and world production in 2007 were 7
and 6%, respectively. The purpose of this study is to
analyse the use of energy in sultana grape production in
Manisa, a significant production area in Turkey and to
determine the variable costs and gross margin of sultana
grapes production. For this purpose, 48 farmers were
selected and their 2008 growing season records examined.
Winegrowing (viticulture and enology) is a global industry,
representing a significant demand on the world’s resources,
including fossil fuels. Nowadays, energy use in agricultural
production in Turkey is becoming more intensive due to the
use of energy-intensive inputs. The total energy input
necessary for sultana grape production was 37,488.00 MJ/ha.
The research results indicated that the total energy input
used for grape production was mainly dependent on
non-renewable energy forms. The values of gross product and
total variable costs were US$ 6,039.00 and US$ 2,847.23,
respectively. Therefore, gross margin was calculated to be
US$ 3,191.77.
Key
words:
Viticulture, grape, input usage, energy consumption, cost
analysis, Turkey.
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