A study on the profitability and marketing costs of seed potato farming in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study attempted to examine the profitability and marketing costs of seed potato under contract farming system of BADC (Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation) with the help of primary and secondary data. Total 45 contract farmers were randomly selected. Attempts were made to calculate costs, returns and profitability of seed potato production under contract farming system, and to identify marketing channels of seed potato. The field level data were collected by a farm survey during the months of April 2005 through direct interviews with contract farmers and registered dealers using a structure survey questionnaire. The results showed that the gross return per hectare was Tk. 252,464 for all categories of farms. Cost of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and human labor were critical inputs for profitability of seed potato. Cobb-Douglas production function analysis was used to determine the effects of the key variables to seed potato production under contract farming system. The elasticity of seed potato production was at 0.727 for all categories of farms. The findings exhibited that the summation of elasticity of different inputs for seed potato production was less than one, implying that the production function exhibited decreasing returns to scale. Registered dealers and Upazila Sales Centers were involved in seed potato marketing formed a straightforward marketing channel. The total marketing costs of registered dealers were Tk. 759.49 per ton of seed potato. The net marketing margin of registered dealers was estimated at Tk. 465.51 per ton of seed potato. The selected contract farmers and registered dealers faced a number of problems and some of recommendations were suggested.