Cost Analysis of the Shrimp-Based Cropping System in Coastal Bangladesh:

A Village Level Study

Abstract

The present study provides an analysis of the comparative costs of cropping systems based on aman and boro rice varieties and shrimp in coastal Bangladesh. The research was conducted in the Shuktia village under Tala Upazila of Satkhira District. The results revealed that the comparative production cost per hectare of land was higher for both aman and boro rice (45,737 taka/ha and 54,411 taka/ha, respectively) than for shrimp (43,853 taka/ha), whereas the gross income, net income, and benefit cost ratio (BCR) were higher for shrimp culture. The shrimp-boro rice rotating cropping system was about 1.56 times superior to a purely rice-based cropping system. The introduction of shrimp-boro rice cropping systems changed the local land tenure, and brought a degree of economic freedom for the local farmers, both landlords and tenants. The paper concludes that a rotating shrimp-boro rice cropping system has exerted a positive economic impact on the livelihood of local farmers on the southwestern coast of Bangladesh, the area under study.