The economic incentives for purchasing harvester combine via Pronaf-Mais alimentos for irrigated rice farmers in Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The inclusion of combine harvesters as a fundable asset under Pronaf- -Mais Alimentos presents as an opportunity for that technology’s diffusion among family farmers in Brazil. However, the machinery’s sells data does not point an accelerated diffusion process. Once the technology diffusion process dependency of economics incentives is settled, this research aims evaluating the impacts of a harvester combine financing via “Mais Alimentos” program for farmers based in a costs model of the investiment. Being the analyses focused on irrigated rice farmers in Rio Grande do Sul, it is estimated that the costs of the machinery purchasing are lower than the alternative costs of service hiring, therefore the financing program terms are suitable to that technology’s diffusion process among small irrigated rice farms of the state. Among the machinery settings, the harvester combine of highest operating capacity tend to have the lowest costs.