Date of Award:

5-1972

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Applied Economics

Department name when degree awarded

Agricultural Economics

Committee Chair(s)

E. Boyd Wengreen

Committee

E. Boyd Wengreen

Abstract

The major objective of this study was to investigate various alternatives for lowering the cost of transporting sugar cane in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. These alternatives included both irrigation and non-irrigation possibilities. Production costs for sugar cane were determined by using studies completed by the USAID-Utah State University study team, budget studies of Senor Carlos Castro of the Guabira' sugar cane mill in Santa Cruz and a study undertaken by Senor Enrique Gomez, a graduate student at Utah State University.

A cane registry commissioned by the National Sugar Cane Commission was used in conjunction with a least-cost transportation model in order to determine a least-cost distribution system for the transport of existing sugar cane production. This model was also used to investigate various alternative for reducing transportation costs to the producers.

Analysis of the least-cost transportation studies showed that over $61,000,000 could be saved in transportation costs of "zones of influence" were established for each of the existing mills. Other feasible alternatives were to close the San Aurelio mill and increase the capacity of La Belgica and Guabira' by 25 percent and the development of irrigation projects from rivers in the southern region capable of irrigating 2137 hectares of sugar cane.

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