PROFITABILITY OF BORO RICE CULTIVATION IN THE SELECTED AREAS OF JASHORE DISTRICT IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to describe the socio-economic characteristics of Boro rice farmers; to estimate the cost and return of Boro rice cultivation; to find out the factors that affecting profitability of Boro rice cultivation and to identify problem faced by the farmers in Boro rice production. The study was undertaken purposively in Chaugachha upazila under Jashore district. Validated and well- structured interview schedule (questionnaire) was used to collect data from 90 boro rice cultivars during 1 st June, 2019 to 30 th June, 2019. Per hectare gross return of boro rice cultivation under small, medium and large farms were Tk. 144520, Tk. 146654 and Tk. 146893. Per hectare gross margin were Tk. 80457, Tk. 77711 and Tk. 72129 per hectare for small, medium and large boro rice farm. Total net return was estimated Tk. 44475, Tk. 47109 and Tk. 41065 for small, medium and large boro rice farm per hectare. Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) were 1.44, 1.47 and 1.40 for small, medium and large boro rice farm. Cobb-Douglas production function analysis was carried out for examining the factors affecting the profitability of input use. In most of the cases the coefficients of seeds, irrigation, TSP, manure, pesticides and zinc sulphate had significant positive effect on production of boro rice farms, but human labor showed negative significant effect on boro rice cultivation. The values of the coefficient of multiple determination of rice production was 0.87 which implied that about 87 percent of the total variation in the gross return could be explained by the included explanatory variables of the model. Resource use efficiency indicated that all of the resources were under-utilization for rice production except over- utilization of human labor and TSP. Low yield and unstable price was the l i st problems in the study and natural calamities was the last problem.