ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SMALL SCALE DAIRY BUFFALO ENTERPRISES AT SOME SELECTED COASTAL AREAS IN BHOLA DISTRICT

Abstract

The study was carried out to investigate current socio-economic profiles of buffalo farm owners, traditional coastal buffalo production, feeding & management practices with system assessing of productive and reproductive performances of the dairy buffaloes identified few emergence problems of buffalo dairying and possible suggestive measures for solution to overcome the problems. This study was also analyzed the costs, returns and profitability of two categories of farms. The study was conducted in to two villages of Char Fasson upazila, namely Aslampur and Char Manika, from Bhola district. Data were collected from January to March 2015 using a structured questionnaire through personal interview during period of UVH internship training placement. The study revealed that buffalo rearing was mostly practiced by middle (30-45yrs) and old (>45yrs) aged farmers than young farmers (<30yrs). Majority 45.71% of the buffalo farmers were educated but only 11.42% farmers had only primary education. About 37.14% farmers supervised his farm with help of family members and labours than himself alone. The farmers fed their buffalos with locally available roughages and tree leaves but they did not practice concentrate feeding and no organized housing facilities for sheltering. The study also revealed that average lactation length was found 228 days, average milk yield per buffalo per day was 2.1 litres. The major diseases of buffaloes found in the studied areas were HS, followed by FMD, Mastitis than BQ, deworming, vaccination and treatments were practiced by most of the farmers. The study revealed that, there had no significant costs for rearing dairy buffaloes at coastal fellow land/bathan areas. Most of the cost accounted for labour and home supplied feed item as non-cash items. The Gross Margin and Net farm profitability per dairy buffalo per lactation year over cash cost and non-cash cost were stood at Tk.55866.65, Tk. 51127.89 and Tk.44954.65, Tk. 40435.39, for Herd size 1 and Herd size-2, respectively. The result revealed that, rearing of small- scale dairy buffaloes is highly profitable at coastal belt areas in Bhola District. The average Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) was accounted for 1:7.51 and 1:3.11 respectively were found over cash and total cost basis considering both herds. Finally, the study identified some crucial problems of raising cows at coastal areas as lack of grazing lands, insufficient veterinary services, natural hazards etc. If those problems could be reduced justifiably the small scale dairy buffalo farming enterprises at coastal areas be possible to raise income and livelihood status of coastal belt areas with creating facilities for owners and youth group of people those who would be interested in dairy buffalo practices commercially specially in coastal areas.