Energy and Economic Efficiency of Kiwi Fruit Production in Turkey: A Case Study from Mersin Province

Abstract

This study was aimed to determine the energy and economic efficiency of kiwi fruit production for the 2018–2019 production season in Mersin province of Turkey. Survey data were collected in 2019, the study farms were selected according to the full counting method and the survey was applied to these farms. In order to determine the energy and economic efficiency in the production of kiwi fruit, a survey was made through interviewing kiwi fruit producers in Çağlarca region of Mersin province. According to the study results, human labour energy, machinery energy, chemical fertilizers energy, organic fertilizer energy, chemical energy, diesel fuel energy, irrigation water energy and electricity energy were the energy inputs. Kiwi fruit was observed as the output. In kiwi fruit production, total input energy was calculated as 31,109.78 MJ ha⁻¹ and total energy output was calculated as 67,217.49 MJ ha⁻¹. The energy inputs in kiwi fruit production were calculated respectively as chemical fertilizers energy 17,359.20 MJ ha⁻¹ (55.80%), electricity energy 7543.83 MJ ha⁻¹ (24.25%), organic fertilizer energy 4256.13 MJ ha⁻¹ (13.68%), human labour energy 830.24 MJ ha⁻¹ (2.67%), irrigation water energy 731.62 MJ ha⁻¹ (2.35%), diesel fuel energy 253.40 MJ ha⁻¹ (0.81%), machinery energy 129.60 MJ ha⁻¹ (0.42%) and chemicals energy 5.77 MJ ha⁻¹ (0.02%). The energy efficiency, specific energy, energy productivity and net energy calculations in kiwi fruit production were respectively as 2.16, 1.45 MJ kg⁻¹, 0.69 kg MJ⁻¹ and 36,107.71 MJ ha⁻¹. The consumed total energy inputs in kiwi fruit production were classified as 30.08% direct, 69.92% indirect, 18.70% renewable and 81.30% non-renewable. Benefit-cost ratio was calculated as 1.58 for kiwi fruit production.