Economic analysis of five oyster farms in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The article describes a comparative economic analysis executed on five oyster farms in Florianópolis, on the southern coast of Brazil. The analysis was carried out based on interviews with the producers and the data were grouped into components of the production cost to calculate economic indicators, used in a comparative analysis of the farms. Labor expenses represent the largest component, varying from 42% to 44% of the production cost, which ranged from R$5.70 to R$8.34 dz.^-1, of the mean was R$6.96 dz^-1. The economic analysis of the five farms with different business characteristics shows that the profitability of this sector depends on good planning with definition of production scale, processing strategy and sales price. The comparative analysis highlights the importance of monitoring and control of the components of effective cost of production and depreciation expenses to support farm management decisions and ensure business profitability.