Resumen

ZAVALA BELTRAN, José Inés; LOPEZ SANTIAGO, Marco Andrés; VALDIVIA ALCALA, Ramón  y  MONTIEL BATALLA, Blanca Margarita. Analysis of beekeeping profitability by strata in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Rev. mex. de cienc. pecuarias [online]. 2021, vol.12, n.2, pp.453-468.  Epub 15-Nov-2021. ISSN 2448-6698.  https://doi.org/10.22319/rmcp.v12i2.5652.

The present research focused on analyzing the cost structure and profitability in the beekeeping production process. Sampling techniques were utilized to randomly select 56 beekeepers from a total of 230; they were grouped into three strata: producers with 20 to 50 hives (small), 51 to 200 hives (medium), and more than 200 hives (large). The total economic cost of production was found to be mainly composed of the variable cost, with an average relative share of 55.4 % in the three strata. Feed expenditure is the primary concept, considering that 90.0 % of beekeepers feed sugar or fructose when there are no blossoms to sustain the hive. The fixed cost represents 14.0 % of the total. The largest expenditure was due to the depreciation of machinery and field equipment. Opportunity costs represent 30.6 % on average for the three strata. The average yield per hive was 25.4 kg/year. In conclusion, considering the economic analysis, the activity is not viable for stratum I, since it does not consider the value of all the resources involved in the productive process (opportunity costs). Likewise, in this stratum the main income comes from other activities. In financial terms, the activity is viable in all three strata, which indicates that it has the capacity to cover both the fixed and the variable costs. When opportunity costs are included, the fixed and variable costs decrease.

Palabras llave : Bees; Productivity; Competitivity.