On the study of energy and cost analyses of orange production in Mazandaran province

The objective of this study is to determine energy balance between inputs and output for orange production in Mazandaran province which is one of the most important citrus production centers in Iran. Data is collected by administering a questionnaire in face-to-face interviews. The total energy input and energy output were calculated as 48,900.5 MJ ha−1 and 32,938 MJ ha−1, respectively, therefore the energy productivity and net energy value are estimated as 0.36 kg MJ−1 and −15,962 MJ ha−1, respectively. The results show that the highest share of energy is consumed by chemical fertilizers (26.9%) and chemicals (26.1%). The ratio of energy outputs to energy inputs is approximately 0.67. The shares of renewable and non-renewable energy were 24% and 76%, respectively from total energy input. The Cobb–Douglas production function is applied to test the relationship among different forms of energy consumption. The net return and productivity from orange production were found to be 3343.9 $ ha−1 and 2.1 kg $−1, respectively. The findings suggest that the orange producers must optimize their use of indirect and non-renewable energy resources since they are excessively using the energy inputs which results in an inverse effect on yield in addition to increasing risks to natural resources and human health.