Economias de escala na produção de leite: uma análise dos Estados de Rondônia, Tocantins e Rio de Janeiro

This study aimed to analize the business maintenance issue faced by milk producers, in the long term. It was analized farms in the states of Rondônia, Tocantins and Rio de Janeiro. The main goal of this study was to verify the existence of economies of scale among milk pro-ducers. The function that presented better adequacy to the data was that of cost translog. The production factors taken into consideration were: capital, land, work and direct expenses. The economic analysis shows the difficulties to survive faced by farmers in the long term. This ha-ppens because the relation immobilized capital/production is very high. The regression results reveal that the vast majority of producers in this case study operate in economies of scale, being that only 3.4% of them do not. The point of minimum average cost was obtained at about 178 thousand liters per year, that is, an average of 487 liters per day. Another group formed by 10% of the case study is closer to the point of minimum average cost and presents a daily production between 183 and 487 liters. And finally, the last group which presents itself in a less favorable situ-ation with a production lower than 180 liters per day. It is highlighted that these producers can significantly reduce their costs if they increase their production, once they are found in the most accentuated part of the average cost curve in the long term and can greatly develop in the activity by using the economies of scale.