RICE RATOONING - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

66 RICE RATOONINGTable 3. Yield, production costs, and profits from ratoon and second planted cropat two sites in the Dominican Republic, 1985.CropYield(t/ha)Production cost GrossGross profitincome a($/ha) ($/t) ($/ha) ($/ha) ($/t)RatoonSecondRatoonSecond3.53.82.54.733095328 1755Jicomé94248Castañuelas1141638058745751081475(79)294326136–11869a Calculated using a selling price of $230/t.Table 4. Productivity of ratoon and planted crops in two sites in the DominicanRepublic, 1985.SystemJicoméProductivity (kg/ha per d)CastañuelasRatoon cropSecond planted cropLSD 0.530.827.810.124.532.81.6Ratoon yields in Jicomé were 92% of the second planted crop yields (3.5 vs3.8 t/ha), whereas in Castañuelas the ratoon crop yielded only 52% (2.5 vs 4.7 t/ha)(Table 3). Ratoon yields are lower than those of a second crop, so the farmers’preference for ratooning is probably associated with factors other than yield.Variable costs of production were similar across locations, ratoon crop costsbeing one-third those of the planted crop (Table 3). Total costs in Jicomé tended tobe higher than in Castañuelas, but costs per ton of paddy were much lower for theratoon crop (US$94.40) than for the planted crop (US247.90) in Jicomé. The samewas true in Castañuelas, although the cost advantage of the rice produced under theratoon cropping system was not as big (US$113.70/t vs US$163.10/t). This wasexpected because ratoon yields in Castañuelas were only 50% of the planted cropcompared with 92% in Jicomé.The minimum fixed price per ton of paddy for the second half of 1985 wasUS$230.00, about $47.00 lower than the cost to produce a ton under the plantedcrop in Jicomé.Table 4 summarizes the production efficiency of the ratoon and the secondplanted crop in the two sites studied. In Jicomé both crops produced about 30 kgpaddy/ha per day whereas in Castañuelas the planted crop produced significantlymore rice per day than the ratoon crop.DISCUSSIONTwo types of farmers practice ratooning in the Dominican Republic. One groupobtains a ratoon crop only when a second planting is difficult, mainly due to timeconstraints. Another group grows a ratoon crop every year and begins the crop-year