ISHS Acta Horticulturae 55: IV Symposium on Horticultural Economics
LARGE-SCALE HORTICULTURAL GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION - A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF GROWTH AND SCALE EFFECTS IN 128 SWEDISH NURSERIES |
| Authors: | H.G. Donelius, L. Wigforss |
| Abstract:
Economies of scale are systematically exploited in all sectors of economic life. However in the last years small-scale advantages have also been more systematically exploited. In Sweden 128 firms (4.6 % of the total) account for 40 % (1 709 305 m2) of the total greenhouse area. According to our definition these firms are "Large-scale-nurseries" (more than 5 000 m2 greenhouses). The history and present situation of these firms are of great interest for future structural development within the horticultural industry and scale-advantages (and disadvantages) are examined. The identification and determination of impellent forces, hindrances, large-scale-advantages and disadvantages and their significance concerning different factors (choice of crop, type of market etc.) has been done through personal interviews. The project has been carried out in close interdisciplinary cooperation with economists, technicians and biologists to get a representative result as possible, with the growers using their own words. The answers show that the growers' personal interests and objectives and the sales situation have driven them on. Hindrances have been the "general" capital-problem (including the energycrisis) and uncertainty about the future. The biggest advantages have been in sales, better use of capacity and better organization. They strongly stressed as disadvantages the management problem, labourproblems and the firms vulnerability to economic fluctuations. Roughly 1/3 of the growers don't want too much change in the future both within and outside their firms and 2/3 want changes and are optimistic. Or as one grower said: "To be in this branch you have to be optimistic, and also Sweden needs domestic horticultural production." | |
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