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Economic Analysis of Paddy Threshing Methods
P.H.S.N.Prasanna, L.H.P.Gunaratne and W.D.R.S.Withana.
*
ABSTRACT
Post-harvest losses of paddy in Sri Lanka are as high
as 15 percent of total production. Of this, about 24 percent of losses
occur during the threshing and cleaning stage with tractor treading
being the most common paddy threshing method. In order to overcome
these deficiencies, recently small and combined threshers have been
introduced. This study attempted to determine the efficiency of
different paddy threshing methods, and to estimate the profitability of
small and combined thresher ownership. The level of adaptability of
mechanical threshing methods (i.e., tractor treading, small and
combined threshers) and the factors that influence the adoption of
paddy threshers were also investigated. Multi-stage random sampling was
adopted to collect primary data based on a structured questionnaire
from Pollonnaruwa district, one of the major rice growing areas in the
country. Financial analysis was employed to find the profitability of
thresher ownership. An empirical model was estimated to evaluate the
efficiency of mechanical threshing methods based on the savings of
labour and material. Logit model was fitted to identify the factors
affecting thresher adoption. The study revealed that on average, small
and combined threshers increase the net income per ha by Rs.6, 345 and
Rs.9, 071 respectively, compared to tractor treading. Combined thresher
ownership was found to be more profitable than small thresher
ownership. The minimum economic operational area for tractor treading,
small thresher and combined thresher were 41.78 ha/yr, 3.47 ha/yr and
20.97 ha/yr, respectively. Monthly income, wealth, cultivated extent
and farming experiences were significantly related to the adoption of
both small and combined threshers. Since replacing tractor treading by
threshing machines reduces the post-harvest losses and increases the
net income it is recommended that the availability of both types of
threshers to be increased depending on farmer resource endowment.
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* The first and the third authors are graduate
students, Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture and L.H.P. Gunaratne
is senior
lecturer,Department of
Agricultural Economics and Business Management, all at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
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Gunaratne
and W.D.R.S.Withana 2004. Sri Lankan
Journal of
Agricultural Economics. Volume 6 (1). Pp. 51 - 66
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