Measuring Technical Efficiency in Venezuela: The Dual-Purpose Cattle System (DPCS)

The dual-purpose cattle system (DPCS) describes traditional cattle production practice in the lowland tropics of Latin America where a mix of Zebu, Criollo, and European breeds are used in meat and milk production (Sere and de Vacarro, 1985; Castillo, 1992). The economic importance of DPCS to these regions is clear since Tropical America uses this production system for 78% of its total bovine population and 41% of its milk production (Fernandez-Bacca, 1995; Estrada, 1993). In Venezuela, this system represents approximately 90% of total national milk production and around 60% of total milk consumption (Plasse, 1992). This is EDIS document FE495, a publication of the Department of Food and Resource Economics, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Published November 2004. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe495