Socioeconomic Importance of Avicultural Integration for the Producers of the West Region State of Paraná

Abstract

Poultry farming is an expanding and representative sector for the Brazilian economy. In the State of Paraná (the largest producer and exporter of chicken meat in the country), the agribusiness system is more prominent, accounting for 11% of the gross value of agribusiness production. This system is also the largest generator of employment and income of the state of Paraná agribusiness, contributing to the significant increase of the state economy. In addition, in the agribusiness sectors, poultry farming is the one that has the greatest potential for job creation since it requires a lot of manpower for production and industrialization. In this scenario, as a central objective, this study objective to investigate the socioeconomic impacts of the poultry activity for broiler chicken producers in the Western region of state of Parana, as well as to identify the profile and characteristics of these subjects. Therefore, this qualitative study, reflects the results of a questionnaire applied locally to 133 poultry farmers of this region. The main results indicate that the activity is governed contractually between producers and agroindustries by the poultry integration system and composed by the predominance of producers with small properties. They are generally satisfied with both profitability and the guarantee of the return on investment made on their properties. In general, the results point to a scenario favorable to poultry farming in the region studied, evaluated positively by the agents involved.