بررسی جایگاه چغندر قند در بخش زراعی استان خراسان رضوی از دیدگاه بهره برداران و سیاستگذاران بخش کشاورزی

Extended Abstract
Introduction
       One of the important indices in preparing the national cultivation pattern is comparative advantage. Social profit demand production based on comparative advantages, but the indices that growers consider when choosing a crop to cultivate are profit and income, restrictions as well as available resources. Difference in viewpoint creates significant problems in the implementation process of this program, and by the greater difference between these two indices, the success in the implementation of the national cultivation pattern program will decrease. This study examined these two indices over a period of 4 years to provide the necessary suggestions for reducing their differences.
Materials and Methods
The required information was obtained from the cost of production system of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad during 2016 to 2019. In order to compare sugar beet with other crops, these indices were used for the most important crops of the province including wheat and barley (irrigated and rainfed), rapeseed, potatoe, onion, tomatoe, cotton, sugar beet, cucumber (Cucumis sativus), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, irrigated and rainfed), fodder corn, alfalfa, chickpeas, and lentils (irrigated and rainfed), and red kidney bean. In order to calculate the comparative advantage index, the domestic resource cost (DRC) method was used. The result of this index is that a country decides to produce or import a product economically. Activities whose DRC is between zero and one have a comparative advantage. Calculations were made based on shadow prices (opportunity cost) of inputs and outputs as well as exchange rate. The highest prevailing wage was extracted as the opportunity cost of labor from the statistical bulletin of the Statistical Center of Iran. Average land rent with 85% coefficient, water rental price in each region, the FOB price for exportable products, and CIF price for import-substituting products, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the cost, insurance and freight were used.,. For animal fertilizers, the average price of local purchase was considered, , 36% of the cost of foreign machinery and 64% of domestic resources were used for machinery, and the relative purchasing power parity (RPPP) method was used for currency. For converting sugar beet into sugar, the following equation was used: percentage of sugar extraction/(1-imported sugar refining waste coefficient).
Results and Discussion
      The results of this study showed that among the 15 counties where sugar beet cultivation is carried out, nine counties had a comparative advantage (first category) and six counties showed no comparative advantage (second category). Among the first nine counties, the highest and the lowest degree of comparative advantage belonged to Jovein and Mashhad, respectively. The degree of comparative advantage of Jovein shows that this county was more resilient to factors affecting the reduction of comparative advantage in sugar beet production (such as decreasing yield per hectare, increasing opportunity cost of production inputs, decreasing world sugar price, and increasing value of national currency) and Mashhad was more fragile to these factors. The average yield per hectare of the first and second categories was 51,775 and 44,772 kg ha-1, respectively, however this does not mean that the yield of the second category was lower than all members of the first category. Fifty percent of the counties in the second category had a yield higher than the minimum yield of the first category. Among the factors affecting comparative advantage, the price of sugar, the opportunity cost of inputs, and the value of the national currency were same for all counties. Therefore, what causes a county to lack comparative advantage despite its optimum yield is production cost. Increasing production costs is acceptable provided that
it can generate more income than costs. Any input that has a higher opportunity cost can help improve comparative advantage with a smaller percentage reduction in consumption. For example, chemical pesticides can help increase the degree of comparative advantage compared with fertilizers with a smaller percentage reduction in consumption. In some counties that have comparative advantage, despite their high degree of comparative advantage, they are ranked better in terms of net income than other products in the county. For example, in Jovein, where the degree of comparative advantage of sugar beet is eight, its comparative advantage rank was eighth and its net income rank was third, so it is of interest to the growers. This situation is also observed in Roshtkhar, Joghatai, and Chenaran counties. The gap between income rank and comparative advantage in the cities of Torbat-e Heydariyeh, Torbat-e Jam, and Mashhad was small and acceptable. In other words, in these cities, production was almost aligned based on social benefits and growers' benefit. However, in the two cities of Sabzevar and Fariman, which lack comparative advantage, sugar beet ranks first and second in terms of income.
Conclusion
      Considering that the comparative advantage index simulates the conditions of liberalization of input and product prices and its effect on the survival or elimination of the product from the cultivation pattern, the results of this study showed that sugar beet is unable to compete in some areas and is eliminated from the production cycle. Therefore, it is necessary to increase productivity by increasing yield and reducing costs to boom the competitiveness of this product. It is also necessary to conduct comparative advantage studies for new methods as well as changes in planting dates, such as autumn planting, so that the final outcome of changes in costs and income of new methods can be measured on these two indicators.
Keywords
Comparative advantage, Cultivation pattern, Domestic resource cost index, Net income, Opportunity cost
References
Kotchoni R, Adoho FM. Comparative Advantage and Growth Potential of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire :African Development Bank; 2021; Oct.39 p.Working Paper Series. No.: 35
Mohammadi H, Kaikha AA, Dehbashi V, Khaloee A. Study of Comparative Advantage for Sugar beet Production in Iran.Journal of Sugar Beet. 2012; 28(1):93-81. (In Persian with English abstract) Doi:https://doi.org/10.22092/jsb.2012.660