Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
•
fixed equipment costs
than the cultivation and harvesting of hemp.
A tractor and trailer can be used in much the
same way, regardless of the crop. The cost of this
equipment will be calculated on the basis of the
number of hours it is used in hemp production.
This hourly cost will include the price of
depreciation and the running costs. All the multi-
crop machinery used (tractor, trailer, sowing
machinery, fertilizer, pulverizer and ground
preparation equipment) needs to be considered.
•
labour costs
•
various other costs.
Cost of seed per hectare
(expressed as
€
/ha)
This is the price per kg of treated, certified
seed, including delivery and all taxes and
charges relative to the amount sown per hec-
tare. This figure is highly variable as, depend-
ing on the farmer, the sowing density can vary
between 30 and 70 kg/ha.
Labour costs
Labour costs are one of the most significant where
this particular crop is concerned. While the hemp
farmer needs to visit his or her field only occasion-
ally after sowing in order to check on the crop,
the requirement for labour increases dramatically
at harvest time and can reach 7 h/ha.
In the case of hemp, which is not har-
vested with a combine, the mowing, sheafing,
baling and storage of the crop in a well-
ventilated shed needs to be factored in.
Where hemp seed is being harvested, the
costs of a combine harvester and seed collec-
tion must be considered.
Cost of fertilization (expressed as
/ha)
€
This is the cost of purchasing different fertilizers
and delivering them to the farm multiplied by
the amount used. Even where a crop does not
require much fertilization, soil variety, and espe-
cially the soil's nitrogen, phosphate and calcium
content, can introduce substantial variations in
the global cost.
Cost of crop protection measures
(expressed as
€
/ha)
Even where the crop does not require any par-
ticular treatments, as was discussed in the chap-
ter detailing the results of the trials undertaken,
this cost must be taken into account where it
does arise.
8.3.4
Calculation of operating margins
Having collected the various constituent costs
of hemp production, we now have:
all the receipts (variable, due to the fact
Various costs and other charges
•
that cultivation subsidies have not been
taken into account)
all the costs (fixed and variable).
These include insurance costs, financial costs,
energy bills, etc.
•
The difference between these two figures rep-
resents the cost of production. It should always
be expressed per cultivated hectare or per
tonne of straw or seed produced.
Variable equipment costs
These are, in the main, comprised of the rental
cost for the specific pieces of equipment needed
for hemp cultivation or the use of equipment from
other businesses. In these cases, we must consider
only the time needed or the tonnage processed.
In this way, the use of a combine har-
vester, supplied together with a driver, costs
around
8.4 International Comparisons
90/ha in France. These costs include
labour costs.
€
8.4.1
Source of figures
France
Fixed equipment costs
The figures used in this chapter have been
provided by the OCERA (
Office de comptabil-
ité et d'économie rurale de l'Aube
). This
This is made up of the cost of using materials and
machinery that can be used for purposes other
