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| Mkhabela, Thulasizwe S.; Mndeme, S.H.. |
| The cost of producing a unit of output is a critical management aspect in the dairy industry, particularly in South Africa. The ability of minimise unit costs of producing milk, while not curtailing output levels, is often a determining factor of the long-term survival of dairy farms in South Africa. In this study, average cost curves showing the variation of unit cost with output are estimated for dairy production in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa, using a panel of 37 farms for the period 1999 to 2007. The results show that economies of size exist, with larger farms able to produce any given level of output at lower costs compared to their smaller counterparts. The study found that the long-run average cost curve (LAC) for the sample of dairy... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Cost curve; Milk; Economies of size; KwaZulu-Natal; South Africa; Production Economics. |
| Ano: 2010 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/62001 |
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| MacNicol, R.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Ferrer, Stuart R.D.. |
| This study identifies sources of risk that commercial sugarcane farmers in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, presently perceive to pose the greatest threat to the viability of their businesses. Sugarcane contributes approximately 82% of the income from field crops in KZN, with 72% of the crop planted by large-scale growers. Data obtained in 2006 via structured personal interviews of 76 large-scale sugarcane farmers from a stratified random sample of 110 farmers in two separate mill-supply areas of KZN were used to elicit farmers perceptions of various sources of risk. The most important risk sources were found to be the threat posed by land reform, minimum wage legislation and the variability of the sugar price, in that order. Land reform... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Risk sources; Farmers perceptions; Large-scale sugarcane farms; KwaZulu-Natal; South Africa; Agricultural Finance. |
| Ano: 2007 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/8011 |
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| Browne, M.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Hendriks, Sheryl L.. |
| Household consumption patterns were investigated to determine the impact of an income shock on household expenditure and to establish the potential for demand-led growth in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal. Household consumption data were collected from sample households in the Embo ward of Umbumbulu, KwaZulu-Natal during October 2004 and March 2005. Budget shares and expenditure elasticities were estimated for household consumption categories for the two study periods, allowing for a comparison of expenditure elasticities between the two seasons. Results suggest that expenditure elasticities for consumer expendables, durables and transport were highly elastic, while expenditure elasticities for the aggregate food category were negative (October) and highly... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Expenditure elasticities; Demand-led growth; Umbumbulu region; KwaZulu-Natal; Consumer/Household Economics. |
| Ano: 2007 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7051 |
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