Asian Science
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Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the profitability
of 58 small, medium and large-scale beekeeping enterprises in Bahçesaray,
a town in Van Province, Turkey. The data, from the 2002 production period,
was updated in 2005 using the agriculture wholesale price index. Honey
yield per modern beehive was 10.72 kg. The single most important cost
item in the total production cost was the permanent labour costs, which
represented 31.42% of the total. The economic profitability rate increased
according to enterprise size being the lowest with 1.42% for small-scale
and the highest with 3.77% for large-scale enterprises. The Coob-Douglas
production function test showed that by increasing the major inputs one-fold,
the large scale enterprsises could increase the honey quantity 1.73 times
against 1.29 times of small-scale enterprises.