Profitability analysis of catfish production in Kaduna state, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the profitability of catfish production in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The objective was to determine the costs and returns in catfish production and thus the profit. Data for the study were collected through the use of well-structured questionnaire. A total of 60 catfish farmers were randomly selected from four Local Government Areas. The results of the data analysed showed that the average investment costs in catfish production was N950, 900 while the total variable cost and total fixed cost were N 554,000 and N 58,050 respectively. The result shows that cost of feed and fingerlings accounted for 89.4% of the total variable cost. The gross farm income was N 1,172,000 per annum while the net farm income was N559, 950 per annum with a return on investment of 0.915 (91.5%). The result indicates that catfish production was profitable in the study are. This also indicates that there is enough employment opportunities in catfish farm in the area, thus relevant stakeholders can assist in catfish production. It was recommended that fish farming should be integrated with traditional cropping and livestock production systems; this will not only increase fish production, but also overall farm production.

Key Words: Catfish, Kaduna, Nigeria, Profitability, Return on Investment.