Economics Analyses of the Sheep Enterprises in Karapinar Country in Konya

Sheep are very efficient domestic animals breaded for different purposes such as sources of meat, milk, leather and wool. Sheep provide very important source of meat in some countries while milk or wool in others. In last 30 years, breeding and milk production of sheep have dropped as 1% and 31%, respectively in Turkey. Beside this, sheep breeding has still great importance in Konya-Karapinar province of Middle Anatolia Region. In present study, situation and incomes of sheep farms and problems in this sector were first researched then; some recommendations to improve incomes of farms were developed. The labor potential of the farms was found as 4.08 man power unit, MPU, with yearly average of 629.64 male business days, MBD. Of this, 56.08 % has been used by sheep activities. The average amount per farm was 181.32 ha in examined farms. The average passive capital of farms was 201.024,62 TL, real capital of 96.60% and 3.40% of depts. Gross production value, GPV, was calculated as 57.840 TL and 47.61% of total has been obtained from sheep farms. Average gross income was found as 57.915,23 TL. On the average of the studied farms, net return was 5.338,70 TL and found negative in farms kept 25-150 sheep. The reason might be that sheep breeding is sub-activity in research farms. The transfer speed of capital in farm averages was 3.69 years. In studied farms, insufficient usage of labor potential resulted in increase of foreign labor usages and reduction in farm incomes. In farms especially breaded lower than 151 sheep, income has observed very low and has thought that they will not able to continue to those activity in near future. Last 10 years period, cattle breeders have been financially supported by agricultural policies of government, therefore, it is suggested that similar supports should also be performed by government for sheep producers.

Keywords: sheep breeding, sheep farms economy, sheep breeding in Konya-Karapinar.