Assessment of economic performance of organic milk production: case study in the brazilian federal district

The objective of the present work is the economical analysis of the organic milk production. For this evaluation, statistics from a farm with organic certificate located in the Brazilian Federal District were appraised, during the period of 2002 and 2003. The Net Operating Revenue (NOR) displayed a positive general average per liter of milk for 2002 and a negative average for 2003, considering the milk price at R$ 0.40/l (this being the historical price of the conventional milk in that region), presenting positive results at the simulated price of R$ 0.80/l (this being the common price of organic milk marketed at Southeast and South regions). The productivity indicators were similar to those observed for traditional properties. The organic milk production may become an economically practicable alternative for the national cattle farming, as long as the remuneration stays higher than that practiced for the conventional milk.