Limitações e perspectivas da produção de leite nos municípios de Careiro da Várzea e Autazes no Amazonas

Abstract

The several changes in the economical and social conjuncture of the country, happened in the last decades, affected the Brazilian production of milk significantly. This activity is of great economical importance for the agricultural sector, because it has an expressive number of small producers; it generates income and employment opportunities for many families, and it produces feedstock for milk products industry. The dairy agribusiness is too much important, therefore, this research has as general objective to study the problems of the production of bovine milk in Careiro da Várzea and Autazes, counties of State of Amazonas. The specific objectives of the research: a) To identify the volume of production and productivity of selected establishments; b) To compare the conditions of milking, human handling, cattle feeding, the management and hygiene with the established patterns; c) To verify transportation conditions of milk, from the farm to the establishment of processing and commercialization. The theoretical basis was ruled in the specialized literature in the theme of the production of milk and of the quality of nutritious products; besides the legal instruments established by the government that talks about production of milk. The method used in this research involved primary and secondary data. The primary data were obtained "in loco", by the application of research questionnaire, of intentional character, in 25 milk producing properties located in both counties. The secondary data were collected in the basis of data made available by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics IBGE and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO. The results show that the rate of production and productivity cow/year in the researched establishments is low. However, that rate was higher than the municipal rate found for the period 1990-2007. About milking, storage and transport of milk, was verified that are practiced in a rudimentary way, in inadequate and incompatible c onditions with the patterns recommended by the control organs and sanitary inspection. In general, the production is destined to cooperatives which produce cheese and other derivatives. They are also responsible for transportation costs, which depending on the distance, practice differential pric ing to producers, affecting the revenue and profit of the establishment. The establishments surveyed present similar characteristics, such as low skill dairy breeds; shortage of skilled labor; resistance to use of technological innovations, low tendency to form cooperatives; poor services of sanitary inspection and quality control of milk, absence management and controlling costs, expenses and revenue, which in turn impair performance bottlenecks and activity. To mitigate or eliminate these factors is necessary to implement polic ies and strategies that increase the dairy industry in these counties. These policies require training of manpower, use of management tools, including formal control of production costs, revenues and expenses on the property, use of new technologies, larger involvement of the technical support organs and access to lines credit, capital and investments