Report 14. Financial analysis of selected tree operations in Haiti's Northwest and Central Plateau

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to conduct a financial study of one tree border planting at Mirebalais in the Central Plateau and three tree farms located in the Northwest. This study entailed the computation of Net Present Values (NPVs) at a 30 percent discount rate for farms having a 90 percent survival rate. Charcoal and poles were the two products considered. The main part of the study included financial analyses in which seedlings were donated to the farmer and he and his family processed the charcoal. Another option showed arrangements in which the farmer paid a custom processor 45 percent of the farm-gate gross and kept 55 percent. Two sensitivity analysis options were included for the farmers paying either $0.25 or $0.50 for tree seedlings. The farm located in Mirebalais had its three species of trees planted on the borders of the fields. The land is flat and has a good potential for agriculture. Poles showed the highest NPVs, with neem and cassia plantings on this farm being positive in all seedling costing options. Charcoal showed positive returns for the donated seedling option and for the $0.25 seedling cost option when the farmer processed the charcoal. Poles showed NPVs ranging from 1.8 to 4.0 times that for charcoal, depending on the species and seedling costing plan followed. The NPV for the borders of one hectare for poles was $120 for neem and $77 for cassia. The first farm located in Bombardopolis was a leucaena coppice woodlot on steep land with low fertility at slightly over 400 m altitude. Charcoal was the only product and yielded a NPV of $339 with the owner processing the wood. Under the $0.25 and $0.50 seedling cost options, this woodlot showed highly negative NPVs. The second Bombardopolis farm had a mixed-species woodlot on steep infertile land at around 400 m altitude. It showed high NPVs for pole production with a range of $1,123 for donated seedlings to $639 using a $0.50 seedling cost. Pole production ranged from 2.8 to 5.8 times the returns for charcoal with owner processing. The third farm in Bombardopolis, a woodlot of eight species on arid land with a 55-percent slope at around 400 m altitude, had positive NPVs of $313 in pole production with donated seedlings and $115 for charcoal with donated seedlings and owner processing. All the options with seedlings paid by the farmer showed negative NPVs except for pole production with a $0.25 seedling cost. The following recommendations are made for the future: 1. Extension workers should stress increasing the survivability of the seedlings planted as a means to increase profitability. 2. Species selection should be tailored to the local area. 3. The feasibility of providing credit to farmers for seedling purchases should be studied. 4. More data should be obtained on the competitiveness of trees and crops for border plantings. 5. The present study should be expanded to obtain sampling data for making inferences in defined physiographic areas.

Bi travay-sa li té yon étid finansiè pou yon lisiè pyebwa nan yon jaden ki nan lokalité Mirebalais, e pou twa fem nan Nodwes planté ak pyebwa. Etid-sa komprann kalkil valé net presante (VNP) pou yon to de 30 pou san pou fem ki genyen yon to de survi de 90 pou san. Chabon e poto sété pwodui consideré. Pati ki pli enpotan nan étid-sa sé yon analys finansié koté abitan resevwa ti pyebwa-yo e li mem ak famil-li ap fê chabon. Lot pati étid-sa, li genyen ka koté abitan ap péyè yon moun kap ramasé e fê chabon 45 pou san, pri vant chabon-sa. Tout resilta-sa yo té testé nan de kas: Yon ka kote abitan ap péyè $0.25 pou chak ti pyebwa-yo, yon lot ka koté lap péyè $0.50. Fem ki sityé Mirebalais-a genyen twa espes pyebwa diferan ki planté sou lisiè jaden-an. Teren-an plat e tè-a gen yon gran kapacité pou pwodui e bay rendeman agrikol. Poto-an jwen VNPs ki pli ho, ak plantasyon neem e cassia ki pozitifs nan tout pri pyebwa ki konsidéré. Chabon li-menm, resilta yo pozitifs nan ka koté abitan jwen ti pyebwa-yo gratis oubyen si lap péyè $0.25 pou yo e ke li-menm ap fê chabon. Poto-an genyen VNPs ki superior depi 1.8 jis 4 a VNPs chabon, diferens-la depann de ki espes ki plantè ak ki pri wap péyè pou ti-pyebwa yo. VNP pou lisiè de yon ektar pou poto te bay $120 ak neem e $77 pou cassia. Premiè fem Bombardopolis-la se yon jaden pyebwa leucena ki sityè nan yon teren ki genyen pant e ki pa kap donnen ampil. Chabon se sel pwodui ki étidiè nan abitasyon-sa, li te bay yon VNP de $339 si se femiè kap fê chabon. Si nan ka koté abitan ta dwe péyè oubyen $0.25 oubyen $0.50 te considérè, abitasyon-sa ta genyen de VNPs ki tap trè negatifs. Deziem fèm Bombardopolis-la se yon jaden plisiè espes pyebwa e ki lokalisé a 400 m sou yon teren ki geyen ampil pent. Produksyon poto nan jaden-sa te jwenn yon ho valè pozitif ki alé depi $639 si abitan ap péyè $0.50 pou ti pyebwa-yo jiska $1,123 si li pa péyè pou yo. Kob ke abitan te kap jwenn nan produksyon poto te ent 2.8 a 5.8 fwa siperyè a kob produksyon chabon te kap ba li. Pou twaziem fem Bombardopolis-la, jaden pyebwa gen uit espes sou yon mon arid ak yon pent ki pase 55 pou san. Abitan sou tè-sa nan ka koté li pa péyè ti pyebwa, jwen yon VNP pozitif de $313 pou produksyon poto e $115 pou produksyon chabon. Tout ka koté abitan dwe péyè pou ti pyebwa-yo ap bay yon VNP negatif, sof si abitan ap péyè $0.25 pou ti pyebwa e ke lap pwodui poto. Men rekomandasyon ki fêt pou lavni: 1. Responsab extensyon-yo dwe ogmenté pousantaj survi pyebwa planté-yo kom mwayen pou ogmenté rantabilité pwoduksyon. 2. Kalité espes ki ap chwazi dwe adapté nan chak zon. 3. Meté kredi agrikol disponib pou femié-yo, sa va pemet yo an mesi pou achté pyebwa, se yon bagay ki dwe pran avek ampil konsiderasyon pou lavni pou yo kapab diminué efe negatif pri sou rentabilité. 4. Plis étid ta dwe fêt pou analize konpetisyon rekolt nan jaden ak pyebwa ki planté sou lisié jaden-an. 5. Etid-sa dwe kontinié nan lot zon diferan pou yo kapab jwenn plis infomasyon ki ka pemet yo fê rekomandasyon.