Mallu B. Deshetti, M.Y. Teggi, G.M. Gadd and S.N.O. Sadashivanagowda
Abstract
This study was undertaken to determine the cost and returns of cattle rearing and to identify the various constraints faced by respondents. The study was conducted in the Vijayapura and Bagalakote districts of Karnataka state. Primary data was collected during 2014-15 from 68 households. Tabular analysis was employed to work out the cost and returns of stall feeding while Garretts Ranking Technique (GRT) was used to identify the major constraints in production and marketing. The overall average initial investment in dairy enterprise in respect of cattle (68 in number) accounted 1,36,265 per herd. The average maintenance cost incurred per herd per annum including amortized cost of initial investment was out to be 1,41,056 in cattle based diary enterprise, the herd size of cattle being 2.97. The net returns was found to be 60,678 per herd per year and the benefit-cost ratio was 1.43 in cattle rearing. The major constraint observed in rearing was the high cost of fodder in both Vijayapura and Bagalakote farms. While no scientific storage facility in villages was the major marketing constraint for Vijayapura farmers, it was exploitation by the market intermediaries for Bagalakote farmers.