Technological and market aspects of vegetable production on a farm

Abstract

Purpose: The article analyzes the market for technologies used to support production processes in directed agriculture. The state of vegetable farming in Poland was analyzed and references were made to the country’s market and economic potential in relation to vegetable cultivation. Also analyzed were the directions of distribution of vegetables on a national and international scale. The vegetable farm surveyed in the case study has been cooperating with a chain of super and hyper markets for several decades. Design/methodology/approach: The subject of observation and profitability assessment included industry reports, technological flowcharts and price calculation using methods of calculating the arithmetic mean based on VAT invoices provided by the surveyed business entity. The presentation and detailed examination of available data took the form of tables and bar charts which were justified descriptively. The source of information for this paper was the subject literature, statistical data and many studies of the Central Statistical Office and Eurostat, reports in the industry section, an interview with the owner of a vegetable farm, an analysis of financial documents made available by the business in question as well as the author’s own observation. The business’s characteristics, revenues, costs and sales market were examined. Also, the machine park of the surveyed business and the level of employment therein were analyzed over the years. Findings: The surveyed farm produces goods for over 10 months a year, which significantly affects the continuity of supplying the customer with fresh vegetables. The article presents the characteristics of the farm and analyzes the production possibilities for individual vegetables. Manufacturing large quantities of goods requires an adequate supply of warehouse space, vegetable processing halls and the necessary human resources. The surveyed farm has been recording a steady increase in investment opportunities as well as introduction and improvement of recycling and ecological activities. Research limitations/implications: The analysis was limited to one vegetable farm. Keywords: cost, production, agricultural machinery, cultivation, tractor. Category of the paper: research paper.