Selected Factors Associated with Dairy Farms Profitability of Chittagong District in Bangladesh
Swarup Barua *
Department of Agricultural Marketing and Business Management, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Mohammad Jahangir Alam
Department of Agribusiness and Marketing, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
Md. Mostafizur Rahman
Department of Agricultural Marketing and Business Management, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Md. Shaikh Farid
Department of Agricultural Marketing and Business Management, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Subrata Koiry
Department of Agricultural Finance and Banking, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The study was conducted to explore the management and institutional factors associated with dairy farms profitability in Chittagong district. The aim of the study was to determine the role of dairy farming in improving their lives, identifications of the problems of dairy cow rising and to provide suggestions for their improvement. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the farmers during the months of August to September in 2015. From the regression analysis, three variables (two managements and one institutional factor) such as age of respondent, number of milking/dairy cows and search costs, were found to be significant and rest of the variables were insignificant but consistent with the expected signs. In addition to that, the highest ranked constraint of dairy farm operating and marketing was insufficient veterinary service and low price of milk. Despite several problems in regard to farm operation and milk selling, the dairy farming was profitable in the study area. So, If proper support could be taken by the government and private organizations and formal institutional arrangements could be established, the overall dairy operation could be improved which in turn would play a vital role to overcome the problems of low income, unemployment, under nutrition of the country.
Keywords: Management factors, institutional factors, profitability, dairy farm, Bangladesh