Incidence of the CONEAT Index and Other Quality Determinant Factors of Farmland Prices

Abstract

The objective of this research is to determine the impact of the CONEAT productivity index over farmland prices in Uruguay. The CONEAT index attempts to express the relationship between land productivity, measured in terms of meat and wool production, and the type of soils present in the land. The advantage of this index is that is easily understood by all agents operating in the agricultural sector. The main critic is that it considers exclusively parameters from livestock production, which may be questioned when applied to the comparison of land for other productive uses. In spite of this pitfall, the CONEAT index is widely used to value farmlands in Uruguay, as well as to compare productivity among rural lands. In order to asses the implicit money values that land traders assign to CONEAT productivity index, a hedonic price model was estimated. This study analyzes 1,407 land transactions, representing almost 2 million hectares, carried out between December 1993 and January 2005. The findings reveal that the CONEAT index has a nonlinear positive relationship with the price per hectare. Along with productive aptitude, farm location, and market conditions, these are all relevant characteristics for farmland price formation in Uruguay.