Impacting Factors in the Gross Value of Production of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) in Pará

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper was to quantify and analyze the changes occurred, between the years 1998 to 2012, in the gross value of production of the black pepper in the State of Pará, as well as the changes in the factors of its variation: harvested area, crop yield and price. For the analysis, it was used the geometric rate of growth, the coefficient of variation and the “shift-share” model applied to the culture's data. Overall, the gross value of production increased in the studied period, passing through an initial period of decline, with recovery of growth in 2006. The harvested area and the selling price increased between the period of 1998 to 2012, while the crop yield decreased. The price showed greater oscillation among the studied factors and had the highest impact in the gross value of production. The productivity proved to be more stable. Increases in harvested area and especially in productivity were considered of interest so the culture of black pepper can grow in market value.