Study on the Comparative Economic Analysis of Fodder Production with Rice at Milk Pocket Areas of Bangladesh

Traditional green grasses in pasture land have been reducing gradually and the demands of cultivated fodders are increasing. Recently, sole fodder production has gained popularity as an income generation & livelihood in the milk shed and other livestock potential areas of Bangladesh. This study was based on the economics of the fodder versus rice production of dairy farmers at Sathia and Bera Upazila in Pabna and Sahjadpur Upazila in Sirajgonj districts of Bangladesh. A total of sixty four dairy farmers were randomly selected for interview taken with a structured questionnaire to know the comparative production cost and profit of fodder and rice production. Different variable costs of fertilizer, seeds/cuttings, labour and irrigation with others costs for rice production were significantly (p?0.001) higher than those of variable costs required for fodder production. Net profit was 240.38 BDT more and cost benefit ratio was 1.38 more in fodder production than that of rice production which clearly indicates that fodder production is more profitable than rice production in the studied areas. The results of the study also revealed that fodder cultivation may play a significant role for more income generation than rice cultivation in the livestock potential areas in the country.