ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF CUT FLOWER PRODUCTION (CARNATION, GERBERA AND LISIANTHUS) IN TURKEY: THE CASE OF ANTALYA PROVINCE

This research aims to determine the cost and profitability analysis of farmers' greenhouse cut flower (carnation, gerbera and lisianthus) production in Antalya. In 2018, the cut flower production in Antalya province accounted for about 56.04% of Turkey's cut flower production. Snowball sampling methods were used to select the cut flower growers and the sample size was calculated as 53 farmers. The data obtained from the enterprises' cut flower production was obtained by face-to-face interviews with the farmers using the producer questionnaire developed by these researchers. The data for the study was obtained in 2018. According to the study's conclusions, the most important cost factor in the greenhouse cut flower production process in the enterprises interviewed was the variable cost. The variable cost share of the total production cost in carnation production was 56.96%, 59.44% in gerbera production, and 64.03 in lisianthus production. The fixed cost percentage was 43.04%, 40.56% and 35.97%, respectively. As for cost items, the most important elements were permanent labour, fertiliser, seedlings, pesticide and land rent. The relative profit value, which better measures the return of production activities, in greenhouse cut flower production was calculated as 1.47 in carnation enterprises, 1.60 in gerbera enterprises and 1.26 in lisianthus enterprises.