Resumo

VALENCIA SANDOVAL, Karina  e  DUANA AVILA, Danae. Citrus in Mexico: Technical Efficiency Analysis. Anál. econ. [online]. 2019, vol.34, n.87, pp.269-283.  Epub 13-Nov-2020. ISSN 2448-6655.

Mexicans habitually consume citrus fruits such as orange, lemon, tangerine and grapefruit, all with nutritional properties. Citriculture is a source of income for approximately 67,000 families. The objective of the study was to analyze the technical efficiency of the four main citrus fruits grown in Mexico and how their functional characteristics affect the national and international demand; with the hypothesis that they are products with minimal variations (less than one), taking the perspective that the consumer acquires them for the benefits to their health. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) made it possible to measure competiti- veness and efficiency. Tangerine and grapefruit showed the possibility of growth due to their efficiency of 0.88 and 0.76, with respect to lemon and orange, which show total national efficiency (DEA = 1). In the productive processes and commercialization of tangerine and grapefruit there are areas of opportunity, since the world market imports on average 40% of these citrus fruits. In Mexico, lemon and grapefruit cover 100% of the national demand, so strategies for the external market could be created.

Palavras-chave : citrus; competitiveness; efficiency; data envelopment analysis.