Desempenho da apicultura no estado do Ceará: competitividade, nível tecnológico e fatores condicionantes

In Ceará state, beekeeping is considered a survival strategy for small farmers. The objective of this research was to study technological aspects and competitiveness of beekeeping in the state. The cross section data was used. To measure the technological level, an index based on production technologies was elaborated. The main results showed that the beekeepers use 60.13% of recommended technologies. Harvest technology contributed the most for the technological index development, while management technology had the lowest participation. The beekeeping is a profit providing activity. Technical level is an important factor to determine competitiveness and technological innovation are essential to the competitiveness of this sector.