Intensity of cropping. It measures
the extent of the use of land for cropping purposes during a given year. It is expressed
as a percentage.
Cropping intensity = Area cropped x 100
Total cultivated area
LABOUR EFFICIENCY MEASURES
By comparing the labour efficiency we
can know whether the labour on a farm is more or less than what is required. We can also
find out whether the labour is relatively more or less efficient.
Crop acreage per man equivalent
The significance of this measure is
influenced by the varying proportion of crops with high or low labour requirements, such
as potatoes compared with wheat. It is one of the simplest measures and is computed by
dividing the total acres in crops by man-equivalents.
Productive.man-work units per
man-equivalent
It is another good and
accurate general measure of labour efficiency for all types of farms. This measure is
computed by dividing total productive man-work units by the number of man-equivalents on
the farm. For average efficiency on most of the Indian farms a full-time worker (man
equi.) should accomplish at least 250 units per year. This measure can compare even farms
in different type-of-farming areas with different degrees of intensity or with varying
crop acreages and livestock. A productive man work unit is the average amount of work
accomplished by one man in the usual 10-hour day. The total productive man work units from
a given farm represent the number of 10-hour days required under average conditions and
abilities to do all the work necessary on the production of crops. The P.M.W.U. are
obtained by multiplying the acres of each crop and number of each kind of livestock by the
average labour requirements per unit of each enterprise in a region.
P.M.W.U. per man = Total P.M.W.U.
Man Equivalents
Capital Efficiency
This may be expressed in various ways:
Power, machinery and equipment costs
per crop acre (including bullock power)
This is a useful measures and can be
calculated as given in an example below (a farm of 50 acres):
| 1 |
10% interest on power,
machinery and equipment investment (20,000) |
Rs.2000 |
| 2 |
Yearly repair costs
(machinery & equipment) |
Rs.1000 |
| 3 |
Yearly depreciation
allowance |
Rs.2000 |
| 4 |
Fuel & Lubrication
costs, yearly |
Rs.1000 |
| 5 |
Feed & fodder costs
yearly including medicine costs for bullocks and camels |
Rs.800 |
| 6 |
Yearly taxes |
Rs.600 |
| 7 |
Yearly insurance premium |
Rs.200 |
| 8 |
Yearly machinery hire |
Rs.800 |
| |
Total: |
Rs. 8400 |
Machinery cost per crop
acre = Total Cost
Total crop acres
= Rs. 8400
= Rs.168
Power & Equipment Investment per
crop acre:
= Total Machinery investment
No.of crop acres
= Rs. 20.000
50
= Rs. 400.
COST RATIOS
Most of the ratios or
efficiency factors discussed up to this point are needed in the process of analysis of the
records. Their purpose, in general, is to indicate a strong or weak point in the
organization or operation of the business and to call attention to the specific phases or
angles of the business where greater managerial attention is needed. In addition, there
are other ratios that are often used in a more general analysis. They deal with the
relationship between costs and returns, relationship of capital investment to income, and
the rate of activity or turnover of the capital.
Cost ratios are averages
and their magnitudes reflect physical production efficiency, selection of enterprises,
prices received for commodities and the expense for the production elements. These cost
ratios are discussed below:
Operating cost ratio
The operating ratio is the
percentage which operating expenses absorb out of gross profit. It shows the proportion of
total income used in (1) hiring labour (2) buying seeds, fuel and other annual supplies
and (3) in keeping equipment in operation, etc.
It is computed by dividing total
operating expenses by gross profit and can be expressed as a percentage or a ratio
Operating cost Ratio = Total
operating cost
Total Profit
Improvement in operating efficiency
is directly reflected in this ratio. It should be watched closely from year to year. It
may also increase or decrease because income may increase or decrease due to commodity
price changes.
Over-head charges (Fixed Ratio)
Fixed expenses continue
in about the same amount regardless of the current operating policy. Their relative
importance in production can be expressed by a ratio determined by dividing the total
fixed costs by the gross profits.
The fixed costs
generally include: (1) Land revenue (2) Water taxes, (3) Other taxes, (4) Depreciation,
(5) yearly insurance premium, (6) Interest on total investment, etc.
Over-head charges ratio
= Total fixed cost per year
Gross income
For a growing efficient
business, the rate of increase in gross income should be faster than rate of increase in
fixed costs. The fixed cost ratio will vary with changes both in gross profits and fixed
costs. Little can be done to reduce total costs within a short period but their magnitude
relative to output can be reduced by expanding production while holding buildings and
other such over-head capital investments constant.
Costs Per Acre. Both
operating and fixed costs per acre can be computed as. = Total costs
Number of acres.
These ratios do not vary
with selling prices and income as does the ratio of fixed or operating costs per unit of
gross profits. They are somewhat meaningless when crop and livestock are intermingled in
varying proportions. Only farms with similar enterprises can be compared with these
ratios.
Gross (Cost) Ratio
The gross (cost) ratio
of total expenses to gross income is a combined measure of the profit making ability of
the farm. While the net income expresses the amount by which income exceeds expenses: the
gross ratio expresses the percentage of gross income consumed by expenses and is,
therefore, independent of the absolute size of the business. Gross income and total
expenses both affect the ratio. It may be large or small depending on the level of prices
as well as the amount and level of expenses. It is indicative of the profit margin for the
business as a whole. At any given level of costs and prices, it can be usefully employed
in the analysis of the business. The percentage of gross income absorbed by expenses also
varies with the type of the farm. With this ratio, comparisons between farms should be
made only when the farms are of the same general orgaisation.
CAPITAL RATIOS
Capital ratios can also
be used in the analysis of the organization with respect to the resources of the farm.
Capital per unit of Gross Income
Occasionally a ratio is computed to
measure the total amount of capital invested per unit of gross income
= Total capital invested gross
income
Capital per man
The ratio of capital per man
indicates the combination of resources in a general way. It is ordinarily computed by
dividing the total capital by the number of man-year equivalents employed on the farm. An
optimum ratio will vary depending on the kind of farming and the availability of funds. It
does not adequately reflect variations which can be possible through capital labour
substitution.
Rate of capital turnover
It is most common
measure of capital efficiency. It is the ratio of the total farm income to the farm
capital (total farm assets). Rate of capital turn over = Gross Income_________ x 100
Total farm Total farm assets
The ratio of capital
turnover indicates the number of years required for the farm receipts (income) to equal
the average farm capital. A faster turnover rate is a sign of good farm business. A high
rate of turnover is especially important for the beginning farmer who is short on capital.
This rate ordinarily varies widely with the type of farm investments.
MEASURES OF FARM INCOME AND
PROFIT EFFICIENCY
There are various
measures which can be used to evaluate farm incomes and profits. The measures listed below
can be useful for such an analysis.
Net Cash Income. Total cash
receipts from production minus total cash operating expenses.
Net Farm Income: Net cash income
from production plus or minus change in inventory in non-depreciable items and
depreciation on power machinery, livestock, buildings, etc.
Farm Earnings: Net farm income +
value of farm privileges (farm products) used in home.
Family labour earnings. Farm
earnings minus interest charges on farm capital.
Percent Returns to capital. Ratio
of farm earnings minus imputed value of the family labour to average, capital investment
expressed in percent terms.
Returns to management: Family
labour earnings minus imputed value of the family labour.