Economía comercial privada del corcho: análisis de los Montes de Propios de Jerez de la Frontera

Abstract

[ES] En muy pocas ocasiones tiene hoy lugar el refugado, cocido y enfardado del corcho en el mismo monte, a diferencia de lo que ocurría desde la tercera década del siglo XIX hasta las primeras décadas del XX. Los Montes Propios de Jerez de la Frontera es una de las tres excepciones en el Parque Natural de los Alcornocales. Son tres opciones potenciales de venta del corcho llegado el año final del turno de saca del corcho: (i) en pie, (ii) en cargadero a pie de carril y (iii) una vez preparado en fardos y a granel. El interés de esta investigación es presentar la renta total y la tasa de rentabilidad comerciales alcanzadas en cada eslabón de la Cadena de integración vertical del corcho sacado y cocido en los Montes Propios de Jerez, considerando los datos de un año medio del período 1994-2002 a precios de poder adquisitivo de 2002.

[EN] Nowadays, in few cases the preparation of cork bark takes place at cork Oak woodland estates as it has been occurred from the third decade of the 19th century to the first decades of the 20th century , by the beginning of cork commercial extraction activity. The Montes Propios de Jerez de la Frontera is one of the three exceptions at the Alcornocales Natural Park, which is located in the southwest of Spain spreading out the provinces of Cádiz and Málaga along 170.025 hectares. The cork Oak is the main specie taking up the 48.5 per cent of his total surface. There are three cork purchasing alternatives for a cork Oak woodland owner once the cork stripping turn is accomplished: to sell cork (i) standing, (ii) at farm gate or (iii) prepared for stoppers and other cork products industries. At the Montes Propios de Jerez de la Frontera the cork is sold by the third alternative.

The aim of this research is to present the total commercial income and profitability rate accrued from each link of the vertical integrated cork chain, for cork that is annually stripped and boiled at the Montes Propios de Jerez. The Agroforestry Account System (AAS) methodology is used to classify the different productions and costs generated in each link of the vertical integrated cork chain, considering average values of period 1994-2003, expressed at purchasing power terms of year 2002. Moreover, the results obtained are integrated with the rest of activities which are conducted in the Montes Propios de Jerez de la Frontera, offering a global view of their private commercial economy. The fact the studied state is property of a public institution could justify the fulfilment of the second and the third link of the vertical chain, since the capital profitability rates are negative, although the overall rate is positive. So, the criteria followed by the managers of the Montes Propios de Jerez de la Frontera reflect a social economy with high levels of employed labour force. This could explain why the preparation of the cork bark in the cork Oak woodland estates has practically disappeared in the Alcornocales Natural Park, and the private owners prefers to sell the cork standing or at farm gate.