Brazil is the largest world producer and consumer of passion fruit, but in the last years, the national industry of juice started to import pulp to assist the crescent demand of juice (concentrated, integral, nectar and tropical juice). Considering the fruit agro-processor cluster from the Zona da Mata Mineira, it is observed that the demand for fruit is not being fully achieved, particularly in the case of passion fruit, which is imported in nature from other states or processed (pulp) from other countries, aiming the manufacture of ready to drink juice. Since it is a culture of fast economical return, the passion fruit plant has become attractive for the producers, but there is still lack of information about the production costs and the profitability in the agro industrial market, avoiding the spread of the culture. With the objective of giving a technical and economical support for the development of the culture in the region, it was estimated the costs of production and the economical indicators were calculated: Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Payback (PB). According to the method used for the analyses it is possible to conclude that the cultivation of the passion fruit plant is a profitable activity and of fast return and it is considered a good alternative for investment in the region.
yellow passion fruit; juice industry; profitability
