Profitability assessment of Red Chittagong cattle under different farming practices in Chandanaish upazilla of Chittagong district

Abstract

The study was designed to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of dairy cow owners and the profitability of rearing Red Chittagong Cattle (RCC) dairy cow in a village named Hazirpara under Chandanaish Upazila of Chittagong District and the study identifies the problems of the dairy owners and provide recommendations. A sample of 30 dairy owners was selected randomly to determine the profitability of RCC. Primary data were collected from the selected farms. Costs and return analysis as well as functional analysis were performed using Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR). The study showed about 20% of RCC farm owners were landless, 40% were small and marginal farmers, 23.33% were medium and 16.67% were large farmers according to their landholding sizes. The average rearing cost of RCC per cow per year was found on the basis of cash cost, non- cash cost and full cost basis at Tk. 34,699, Tk. 12,655 and Tk.47,354 respectively. The average gross return per year per cow of RCC was found at Tk.53,283.33. The average gross return per lactation per cow of RCC rearing over cash cost and full cost basis were found at Tk.19,698 and Tk. 7,043, respectively. The BCR on the basis of cash costs and full costs per year per cow were found 1.58 and 1.15, respectively indicating that the RCC farming is profitable at rural condition in Chittagong. Major identified problems are high prices of feed, scarcity of quality feeds and fodder, low prices of milk, inadequate veterinary care and services, distance of AI center, lack of credit and lack of technology. Ensuring root level veterinary services, cultivating high yielding fodders, arranging training programs on livestock management, health care and marketing and ensuring the extension of easy-to-get credit facilities to the farm owners are the main recommendations for the betterment of the rural RCC dairy owners.