Author : Songkran Malida

Summary : The average size of farms was 56 rai; about 72 percent of the total area, or 40 rai, was devoted to sugarcane. Area planted to sugarcane ranged from 9 to 160 rai. The average yield of plant cane was 11.41 tons per rai; that of ratoon cane, 10.86 tons per rai. The net return above total cost of plant cane was 418 baht per rai, representing 38 baht per ton cane. The average net return above total cost of ratoon cane was 483 baht per rai or 45 baht per ton cane. The average net return above total cost per rai among size groups was highest on the medium farms. A Cobb-Douglas production function was fitted by multiple regression procedures to the basic input-output data for each farm group. The production elasticities for the individual inputs of each farm group were less than unity, indicating that diminishing returns to scale existed among the individual factor inputs. The sums of production elasticities of all farm groups were greater than unity, showing that increasing returns to scale existed in each farm group.