Determination of minimum area for acquisition of a combine for the harvesting of irrigated rice on the west border of Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The irrigated rice harvest is considered one of the most important mechanized operations in the crop, due to its high cost and added value. In this sense, the present work aimed to carry out a study of the minimum harvest area that makes possible the acquisition of a new self-propelled combine for the of irrigated ricecrop. The work was carried out in the Itaqui city, West Frontier of Rio Grande do Sul State (RS), based on marketing data provided by the concessionaires, considering different brands and models of combines, equipped with axial type trail systems, radial and hybrid. To determine the minimum area, fixed and variable costs, cost of outsourced harvesting, in the 2018/2019 agricultural year, and loss reduction factor were analyzed using mathematical equations, which consider parameters related to the particularities of the crop and the region. The results define that the smallest minimum area that makes possible the acquisition of a new self-propelled combine for the irrigated rice in the Western Frontier region of the state is 98.78 hectares. Therefore, the higher the technological level and the dimensional characteristics of the combine, the larger the minimum area to be harvested to economically justify its acquisition.