The Cost and Benefit Analysis of Date Palm Plantation in Pak Thong Chai Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to investigate the investment capital, to ascertain the returns on investment, and to analyze the investment capital and the returns on investment in planting date palm plantation. The sample of the study was purposively selected from various date palm plantations in Nakhon Ratchasima Province or from KORAT Date Palm (KDP). The researcher collected the required data by conducting in depth interviews with the farmers. The collected data were analyzed by resorting to descriptive statistics percentage, frequency, and mean. The findings of the study are as follows: the incurred initial investment capital in the amount of 17,972,000 baht and required a planting area of 80 rai, as well as 2,000 date palm trees, 1,600 date palm trees in the KORAT plantations yielded crops covey year; they yielded crops for the first time in the third year. The annual income was 180,000 baht per rai, the annual investment capital was 60,185 baht per rai, the payback period was 4 years 1 month and 6 days, the return on investment was 61.23%, the net present value was 99,065,262 baht, the rate of return is investment was 2.52 times of the investment capital. In the average, the annual profit of operation was 66.92%, the annual net profit margin was 53.54% or 7,708,952 baht per year or 96,362 baht per rai or 3,854 baht was obtained from the fruits of each palm tree in each year and the price of date palm was 41 baht per kilogram