Assistência técnica, eficiência e rentabilidade na produção de leite

The objective to paper was to evaluate the relationship between technical assistance and efficiency in the production of milk. In this analysis, it was used milk production data of associated to Development Program of Dairy Cattle (PDPL), a public-private partnership involving companies and the Federal University of Vicosa (UFV) that works since 1988. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA) to calculate the efficiency measures, it was found that there are positive relationships between the time that the producer receives technical assistance and efficiency indicators. It was found that there is a virtuous cycle of continuous and systematic technical assistance process, since its continuity allows production and productivity gains, enabling improvements in efficiency and profitability indicators, which are reintegrated into the process as new investments. The paper emphasizes the importance of partnerships to improve the training of students for technical assistance and the development of dairy cattle.