Economic analysis of pomegranate production in Antalya

Antalya is a central vegetable and fruit production centre of Turkey with respectto its appropriate climatic conditions and wide and productive lands. Pomegranate, ofwhich the consumption demand and use in the food industry as an input is continuouslyrising, also has an important place in the agricultural product range of Antalya. Due to2008 data, while the total pomegranate production in Turkey is 127,760 tonnes, 52,953tonnes (41.5 %) of this production took place in Antalya.The preferential purpose of this study is to investigate socio-economicalcharacteristics of the agricultural enterprises that produce pomegranate and to presentthe economical structure and problems of pomegranate production activities. Inaddition, production of pomegranate in Turkey and in the globe, foreign trade ofpomegranate and policies implied were also interpreted.Data used in the study belong to 2009 production period and were retrieved from75 agricultural holdings via questionnaire implementation.The average pomegranate production area was found as 24.53*10-1hectares in theinvestigated enterprises. The average age of the producers was detected as 49.19 andaverage year of pomegranate production experience was 8 years. The averageivestablishment costs were calculated as 25.415,10 TL/ha. While variable costsactualising in the production period were 5.869,30 TL/ha, fixed costs were calculated as13.058,10 TL/ha. The gross value of production of the investigated enterprises frompomegranate production activities were found as 22.113,30 TL/ha.Finally, the pomegranate production cost per unit (kg) was found as 0,54 TL inthe surveyed enterprises. In opposition, pomegranate sales price was 0,91 TL/kg.Accordingly, profit margin per kilogram of pomegranate in the investigated enterprisesin Antalya sample was 0,37 TL.