Socio-Economic Analysis of Wet And Dry Season Production of Tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill ): Implications For Input Use

Abstract

The economics of tomato production in the wet and dry seasons were examined with special reference to the efficiency of input use and varietal suitability for production seasons. Two varieties of tomato, TI-563 and TI-570 were used and gross margin analysis was employed to compare the performance of the two varieties. Inputs were valued at farm gate prices while farm products were valued at prevailing market prices. Simple linear regression was used to relate input-yield interaction per season. There was fruit yield difference between the two seasons in both varieties. Total production cost was higher in the dry season as a result labour required for irrigation. There was a negative returns-to-scale for labour on land preparation, water and insecticide applications in the dry season. All economic indices considered indicated that the profitability of varieties TI-563 and TI-570 was higher in the wet and dry seasons respectively. The consideration of economic factors in classifying varieties into wet and dry season types was emphasized