CHARACTERIZATION IN CULTURE FROM BALSA WOOD (Ochroma pyramidale) IN LOS RIOS PROVINCE ECUADOR

Abstract

A characterization of balsa (Ochoroma pyramidale) crop was made in the Los Ríos province Ecuador, during the 2008. The establishment, manage and commercialization of this specie was determined. Also the costs of production, incomes, profitability and the equilibrium point of this crop were determined through surveys made to the balsa planters. It was determined that producers use native seeds proceeding from Ecuador. 53.50% of the surveyed planters get their seedlings from local plant nursering while 46.50% get their seedlings from their own plant nursering. It is important to mention that planters do the establishment and maintenance labors of their crops by theirself, although 94.00% of them never has any technical assistance which is determining for the quality and yield of the crops. It was determined that the surface used to establish this crop oscilate from 0.37 to 44.40 hectares where 34.25% belongs to one year plantations, 32.54% to three years, and with the lower percentage
crops of two, four and five years can be found. When the trees have reach an average age of three to four years they are directly bought at the planters’ farm cutted in to pieces and transported by trucks by local enterprises as PLANTABAL, INMAIA and BALSAFLEX, whom process the balsa wood and export to the European, Asiatic and American markets. The total production costs at four years, of an hectare of balsa can get as high as $ 2,477.06 USD with incomes of $ 6,000.00 USD getting $ 3,522.94 USD as net benefit with a profitability of 142.00% and an equilibrium point of 22.80 m3 of physic units of balsa wood and $ 912.00 USD in monetary units per hectare.