ECONOMICS OF MINI DAIRY FARMS IN SELECTED AREAS OF BANGLADESH

In this study an attempt was made to evaluate the economics of dairy farming in selected areas of Bangladesh. Data from 20 randomly selected farms were collected by survey method. Results show that cross-bred cows were more in number (2.55) in those farms than that of local cows (0.65). The number of cross-bred cows increased as the farm sizes increased. The production of milk per cross-bred cow was higher (5.66 litres) than the local ones (2.23 litres). Highest (5.74 litres) milk yield per cross-bred cow was recorded in large farms. The average lactation period for crossbred cows was higher (304 days) than the local cows (210 days). In production cost of farms, concentrates took the highest share (35.19%) followed by labour charges (23.64%). The production cost and gross returns for mini dairy farms were higher in large farms (TK. 183,005 and TK. 187,544, respectively), compared to medium and small farms. The benefit-cost ratio of all farms was 1 : 1.03, indicating that mini dairy farming is economically profitable. In addition, each farm created an annual employment opportunity of 649.70 man-days which was met by both male and female labourers. The small farms employed more female family labourers while the large farms depended more on hired labourers. The expansion of dairy farming with cross-bred cows is suggested for accelerating income and employment opportunities in rural Bangladesh.