Energy-use patterns and optimization in the production and on-farm processing of flue-cured tobacco

Date

1983

Abstract

The patterns of energy-use in the production and on-farm processing of flue-cured tobacco was determined through interviews with the farmers in the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union. A total of 1006 respondents representing two percent of the total number of farmers were chosen through the multi-stage random sampling and grouped according to their farm sizes, i.e. small, medium and large. The rate of energy consumption is inversely related to the farm area. Small farms required 170, 909 MJ/ha while the medium and large farms utilized 131, 773 and 101.257 MJ/ha, respectively. The very high energy requirement in tobacco curing relies heavily on fuelwood as energy source. It contributed 141031 MJ/ha of the total energy. The other significant energy sources and their contribution per hectare are gasoline and oil with 4,177 MJ or 2.77 percent, fertilizer with 2,677 MJ or 1.78 percent, and human labor with 1,412 MJ or about 1 percent. The least contribution was from chemical pesticides at 73 MJ/ha or only 0.05 percent. In terms of operation, curing the leaves was the most energy intensive consuming an average of 141, 246 MJ/ha or 93.68 percent. Weeding and cultivation consumed the least with an average of 11.3 MJ/ha. A multi-objective linear programming model (MOLP) with energy and cost minimization objectives was developed for the southern towns of Ilocos Norte. The energy minimization solution reduced the energy requirement to 99, 695 MJ/ha from the present level of 167, 377 MJ/ha but increased the cost to P11, 328 per hectare due to the substitution of fuelwood to kerosene for curing. The cost minimization solution, on the other hand, reduced the cost to P 4,172/ha and slightly reduced the energy consumption to 167, 321 MJ/ha. When the recommended levels of fertilizer and irrigation were incorporated in the model, the energy minimization model yielded a minimum of 194, 051 MJ/ha at a cost of P 19,650. The cost minimization gave values of 336, 243 MJ/ha and P4,811/ha. The trade-off curve was generated in the solution of the simultaneous energy and cost minimization objectives.

Document Type

Master Thesis

Language

English

LC Subject

Tobacco curing

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 995 1983 A2 C37

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