RENTABILIDAD DE LAS PLANTACIONES DE AGAVE MEZCALERO (Agave angustifolia) EN EL DISTRITO VALLES CENTRALES DEL ESTADO DE OAXACA

Profitability is fundamental in productive activities of all kinds, since its analysis is decisive for decision–making by agave producers both in relation to the return on investment and the profits they expect from the agribusiness of plantations mezcalero agave. Agave plantations are a non-timber forest product that identifies the state of Oaxaca as the entity with the largest planted and harvested area in the country, as well as being the main producer of the spirit drink mezcal, which is considered ancestral and artisanal. In addition to having recently obtained the benefit of certification as Mezcal Denomination of Origen (MDO), the entity also holds the record in terms of average yield per hectare in ton/ha, however, the value of its production does not rich first place mainly due to due to the low average rural price paid to the agave producer. The methodology used was the traditional one of evaluating medium and long- term in which the traditional financial indicators of internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV) and benefit-cost ratio (RBC) were used, and which was supported with the design of a database to obtain information directly from producers. The result obtained show that the estimated profitability indicators for the Central Valleys region of Oaxaca were positive even with the downward sensitivity analyzes with ranges in the indicators of: RBC from 2.17 to 2.50; NPV from 344,842.17 to 378,872.52 and IRR from 15 % to 17 %, therefore, it was concluded that there is financially profitable economic potential for producers in the region of the state of Oaxaca.