Redalyc.Marketing Channels and Margins for Milk in the Province of Sugamuxi (Boyacá)
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Agronomía Colombiana ISSN: 0120-9965 [email protected] Universidad Nacional de Colombia Colombia Rodríguez, Paulo; Téllez, Gonzalo; Muñoz, Guillermo Marketing channels and margins for milk in the province of Sugamuxi (Boyacá) Agronomía Colombiana, vol. 29, núm. 2, mayo-agosto, 2011, pp. 301-308 Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá, Colombia Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=180322766016 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto Marketing channels and margins for milk in the province of Sugamuxi (Boyacá) Canales y márgenes de comercialización de la leche en la provincia Sugamuxi (Boyacá) Paulo Rodríguez1, Gonzalo Téllez2, 4, and Guillermo Muñoz3 ABSTRACT RESUMEN The aim of this study is to provide information on the character- El objetivo del presente estudio es proporcionar información de istics of the marketing of milk in the province of Sugamuxi, for las características del mercadeo de la leche en la provincia de which marketing channels were identified, marketing margins Sugamuxi, para lo cual se identificaron los canales de comer- were established, links in the chain were diagnosed and the im- cialización, se establecieron los márgenes de comercialización, plementation of the Competitive Dairy Chain Agreement and se diagnosticaron los eslabones de la cadena y se evaluó la apli- its pricing system were assessed. This analysis discriminated the cación del Acuerdo de Competitividad de la Cadena Láctea y de problems of two areas defined by topography (flatland sloped), su sistema de precios. Este análisis discriminó la problemática that is the particular problems they present and the different en dos zonas definidas por su topografía (plana y ladera), ya que channels in the marketing of milk they use. 235 traders were presentan problemáticas particulares y utilizan canales dife- surveyed in each area. The marketing channel focused on was: rentes en la comercialización de la leche. Fueron encuestados producer - regional processor - wholesaler - Consumers in the 235 agentes comerciales de cada zona. Se resalta el canal de plains, and in the hillside area: producer - transporter - regional comercialización: productor – procesadores regionales – may- industry - local - consumer, and especially on increased milk orista – consumidor en la zona plana, y en la zona de ladera: marketing. Marketing margins were calculated for raw milk productor – transportador – industria regional – distribuidor and pasteurized milk. The milk producers in the flatlands are local – consumidor, como los más importantes por mercadear paid better, the current price system usually does not apply. el mayor volumen de leche. Los márgenes de comercialización Also, there is a deficient in knowledge of ACCL by other links se calcularon para leche cruda y leche pasteurizada. La leche in the chain, hindering development and competitiveness of al productor en la zona plana se paga mejor, no aplicándose en the dairy chain. su gran mayoría el sistema de precios vigente. Así mismo se encuentra un deficiente conocimiento del ACCL por parte de los demás eslabones de la cadena, obstaculizando el desarrollo y competitividad de la cadena láctea. Key words: marketing, dairy chain, competitiveness, trade Palabras clave: mercadeo, cadena láctea, competitividad, links, the price system. eslabones comerciales, sistema de precios. Introduction In many of these areas an additional feature is the preva- lence of small farms as a means of production, competing The primary dairy sector has stood for over the past 10 years with technical systems, specialized for better stability in as an excellent opportunity for economic and social devel- the market, but with little bargaining power (MADR, 1999). opment in various areas of the country, having displaced Therefore, research on dairy marketing processes that some agricultural products, guaranteeing their loss. Thus, focus on these remote areas would provide a commercial the generation of new dairy farms in this country has been diagnosis of milk produced there, allowing better price increasing but not in the same economic or environmental control, preventing future inequities and promoting ef- conditions, one example is the various production systems ficient marketing channels and improving product quality. in specialized dairy basins, located in the middle and up- per thermal areas such as the Cundiboyacense highlands, The development of productive activities within the including Chicamocha. Sugamuxi province is limited by characteristics of bio- Recceived for publication: 24 June, 2010. Accepted for publication: 2 June, 2011. 1 Institute for Environmental Studies (IDEA), Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogota (Colombia). 2 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ), Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogota (Colombia). 3 Research Center La Liberty, Corporación Colombiana Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica). Bogota (Colombia). 4 Corresponding author. [email protected] Agronomía Colombiana 29(2), 301-308, 2011 physical, social, economic and cultural, stratifying patterns This study considers the location as the main distinguishing of production; allowing the classification of the actors feature of the product quality, pre-milking and marketing, and marketing functions for study and analysis. There are due to differences in distance to industrial plants and inter- differences between those who perform the same func- mediaries, determining factors for time and distance when tions of marketing, giving rise to the various processes of collecting the milk. This factor determines the distribution productivity and marketing channels and margins of the channels, margins of participation in wealth, selling prices, plains and hillsides of the Sugamuxi province. and therefore, opportunities to market the product. This study aims to characterize the main marketing chan- On the one hand, the flat area ofthe province has, among nels and margins for milk in flatland areas and hillsides of other features: modern irrigation systems like the sprinkler the Sugamuxi province. Immersed within the overall ob- irrigation project of Usochicamocha, presence of a major jective of developing a descriptive diagnosis of the current water network, good quality land for crops and feed produc- marketing of milk in the study area and provide analytical tion, inland access to good roadways, elements that together tools to producers in the area to enable them to optimize allow the development in a stable and controlled fashion. decisions regarding marketing processes of milk. Socio-economically, the members of the production and marketing chains that work in the flatlands of the prov- Materials and methods ince have a greater degree of technical education, allowing Materials: The study was conducted in the hillside area of them to develop their business with a certain efficiency. the Sugamuxi province comprised of the municipalities For farmers in this area, they have more and better natural of Mengua, Monguí, Tópaga, Gámeza, Aquitania, Cuítiva resources on their farms, and their production systems are and Tota. equipped with technology and skilled labor. Therefore, the milk produced there is sought by industries that demand a The research was conducted in the period from February to product in large quantities and of good quality. May 2003 during which some participants were interviewed and consulted as secondary chain sources of information Municipalities geographically distant from the center of the such as the Municipal Units of Agricultural Technical Sogamoso territories coincide with the sloping margin and Assistance (UMATA, its acronomy spahish Unidades fragmented milk production, but given their large numbers, Municipales de Asistencia Técnica Agropecuaria) and the are an important source of milk for the province. The hill- Federación de Ganaderos de Boyacá (FADEGAN). side area is characterized economically mainly by mining and rural subsistence production (Arias, 1997). Most land Methodology in these municipalities is too steep, limited arable land or pastoral water resources are not constant throughout the To perform a more detailed assessment of the marketing year or water reservation systems do not exist, access roads channels and margins in the Province of Sugamuxi, topo- are few and in poor condition, preventing permanent com- graphical zoning was produced to justify and substantiate munication with the urban area, social services and support the results. to agriculture are limited or nonexistent, and marketing A market research study include marketing channels and policies have been few and inadequate (Ceron, 1991), result- margins, begins with the knowledge of the origin of the ing in little or no competitive production. product and its features and then tracks the process, includ- ing changes in form and property, to their final destination No doubt the features that differentiate the two types of (Mendoza, 1991). production locations are the different land slopes and proximity to access roads, factors other than productiv- Once the origin and destination of milk was designated, we ity, they communicate differently in urban areas and the proceeded to identify the marketing channels and margins secondary or intermediary sectors, determining