Technical and economic characterization of lamb meat production in Córdoba, Colombia

Abstract

Introduction. The knowledge of the biophysical, technological, and economic variables of lamb production systems represents valuable elements to delve into the productive characterization and analysis of the species. Objective. The aim of this study was to characterize technically and economically, the lamb meat production system in the department of Córdoba, Colombia, to generate a baseline that allows comparing technological options with local technology. Materials and methods. The information was obtained from a fieldwork carried out in four productive units with 108 male lambs under semi-extensive management. The data were obteined between January to September 2018. Structured surveys, as well as statistical techniques were applied, including central tendency and dispersion measures. For the economic analysis a cost pattern was used for each productive unit and the calculation of return indicators such as the internal rate of return and the net present value. The technical coefficients were analyzed economically. Results. The daily weight gains were 80-132 g day^-1, with an average weight per animal of 31.7±3.2 kg. Meat production was 18.450 kg. The best gains of daily weight (p<0.0001) and final weight were observed in the Campanario farm with 33.47±4.1 kg as a response to the technical management that generated greater productive units and higher incomes. The average unit cost was USD$1.05 kg^-1, the profitability of 28%, and the internal rate of return was 4.5 %. Conclusions. The production systems evaluated were profitable with the capacity to recover the investment. The analysis of marketing margins showed the inequality in the producers’ participation in the value paid by the consumer for the product since they receives only 18 cents for each monetary unit paid the rest is captured by the intermediation.