Technical and economic performance of Tilapiculture through data envelopment analysis

• Grant number: 22/05013-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Rural Extension
• Principal Investigator: Omar Jorge Sabbag
• Grantee: Omar Jorge Sabbag
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Antonio Lázaro Sant'Ana ; Renata Melon Barroso

Abstract

The Brazilian production of tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) is significant, highlighting the country among the four largest producers in the world. However, performance measurements provide conditions for improvement for fish farming, with regard to changes related to production systems, including maximum yields from fish production and the labor employed. Within this theme, the present project aims to evaluate the performance of fish farmers with production of tilapia in the most expressive producing states in the country, with a view to verifying the degree of productive and economic efficiency, as well as finding the determining factors of inefficiency, through of an econometric model. Methodologically, this exploratory and descriptive research combines a quantitative and qualitative approach, through the application of online questionnaires and the formation of focus groups. Initially, the performance of production will be measured by DEA analysis, using the DEAP 2.1 software, applied to four input variables, corresponding to the main factors of production (land, labor and capital) of the fish farming activity, as well as two outputs, corresponding to the dimension economic, applying the CCR (technical efficiency) and BCC (scale efficiency) models, for the input orientation to the model, in order to verify if the obtained production justifies the amount of allocated resources. To identify which variables discriminate the variation in efficiency, the Tobit econometric model will be used, with the aid of the Gretl software; in the economic model, a function will be estimated considering the value of production as the dependent variable, assuming as independent variables the representatives of the mentioned production factors. DEA analysis can potentially provide better conditions for competitiveness in the fish sector, especially when interpreted and used with their own knowledge and judgments about their operations, which 88% of the federation units have records of tilapia production. Sequentially, the focus groups should deepen the discussion of the results obtained through the application of the questionnaires, which will also make it possible to identify factors that are influencing the technical and economic performance by fish farmers, some of these factors may not have been evaluated in the quantitative analysis. Thus, knowing the performance of the activity in the country, it will be possible to identify the main obstacles of less efficient fish farmers and optimize their processes to make them more efficient, thus guaranteeing their sustainability in the production environment, especially with regard to to the economic dimension, contributing to the leverage of one of the sectors with the greatest potential for accelerating the country's economic and social development. (AU)