PRODUCTION COSTS 

 General 



It is difficult, in most instances, to secure precisely 

 identical cost data from different sources. Bookeeping practices 

 vary widely. A serious attempt has been made here to study only 

 comparable data. In order to obtain comparability it has been 

 necessary to dispense with much detail. Some of the detail is 

 covered in the discussion of the material . 



Since fishing, processing, and transportation practices 

 on the east coast of Mexico differ considerably from those on the 

 west coast, each coast will be treated separately whenever sufficient 

 data are available. 



The samples of operations used for cost comparisons, 

 necessarily, were small, and consequently only certain general con- 

 clusions can be drawn from the data. 



East coast 



Both 19?2 and 1953 were profitable years for the boat 

 owners, with 1953 generally being a better year than 1952 (table 

 17). In 195U, in spite of the devaluation, many of the boats 

 operated at a loss. This situation continued into the early part 

 of 1955j but later in that year prices increased and most boats 

 showed a profit for the year. 



In 195U, the average cost of producing shrimp in Ciudad 

 del Carmen was probably between 25 and i>S cents per pound. 



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