Abstract

Techno-economic analysis of different farming systems prevalent for Macrobrachium rosenbergii in Kuttanad, a wetland ecosystem of India was carried out. Results showed considerable variation in production cost and profitability among the farming systems. Cobb-Douglass production function model suggested that optimization of input cost along with adoption of appropriate management strategies as prerequisites for economic sustainability of freshwater prawn farming. Based on the above result a threshold grow-out system suitable for Kuttanad was developed and trial run. The marketable yield, cost and profitability from the new system was compared against the existing farming systems. Net profitability from the new system was higher compared to existing extensive and semi-intensive systems. The present study emphasizes the need for following appropriate management procedures to reduce size disparity among prawns, increasing survival rate, reduction of additional expenditure on operational cost and increasing the percentage of marketable prawns for farming to be profitable in Kuttanad.

Key words: Macrobrachium rosenbergii, production, marketable yield, farming system, sustainability, wetland ecosystem