Restrictive Factors for the Mechanization of Sugarcane Cultivation in Manabí Province, Ecuador

Abstract

The cultivation of sugarcane has a great tradition in Manabí Province, although it does not appear within larger production volumes in Ecuador. It represents one of the main sources of income in the agricultural sector in the province. The level of mechanization associated with these productions is very low due to a number of objective and subjective factors that have prevented its introduction. From this, the present study aimed to determine the limiting factors for the mechanization of sugarcane production in Manabí Province, Ecuador. A questionnaire for conducting surveys to producers was developed and a survey team was trained for collecting information. The results allowed defining, the limiting factors to use means mechanized in the production scheme of sugarcane in the province, according the matching criteria of respondents. It was shown that they are associated with problems of topography of the planting areas (slopes, 50 to 70%) and the limited availability of conventional or specialized mechanized means for work at maximum slope. Moreover, the insufficient training of technicians and producers in the management, administration and technical assistance of the mechanized means, the preference of producers for cultural practices that exclude the use of mechanized means and the high cost of renting these means.