PROFITABILITY AND RESOURCE USE EFFICIENCY OF TOMATO PRODUCTION IN SOME SELECTED AREAS OF CUMILLA DISTRICT IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The study was conducted to delineate the socio-economic characteristics of tomato producers in the study area; to estimate the costs and returns of tomato production in the study area, to find out the factors that affect profitability of tomato cultivation, and to assess the resource use efficiency of tomato cultivation. Cumilla district was selected purposively for the study on the basis of extensive tomato production. A total of 80 tomato cultivators were randomly selected to conducting farm level survey with pre-tested questionnaire. Data were collected during 1 i

st January, 2019 to 31 March, 2019. Per acre cost of tomato production was Tk. 26033 for all farm categories in the study area. Total cost was highest for small farm (Tk. 30903) followed by large farm (Tk. 29602) and medium farm (Tk. 28945). Per acre gross return of tomato cultivation under small, medium and large farms were Tk. 56208, Tk. 54912 and Tk. 52864 respectively which indicates that per acre gross return of small farms were higher than large and medium farms. Per acre gross margin of tomato cultivation under small, medium and large farms were Tk. 38704, Tk. 38551 and Tk. 36126 respectively. Per acre net return of tomato cultivation under small, medium and large farms were Tk. 25305, Tk. 25967 and Tk. 23262 respectively, which indicates that net return was highest in small farms than large and medium farms. Per acre benefit cost ratio (BCR) of tomato cultivation under small, medium and large farm were 1.82, 1.90 and 1.78 respectively. Cobb-Douglas production function model was used to determine the effects of key variable inputs. The most important nine explanatory variables were included in the model to explain the gross income or return of tomato cultivation. Most of the variables in the production function were significant in explaining the gross return except the positive and insignificant effect of human labour cost, urea, MP, irrigation and pesticides. Resource use efficiency indicated that all of the resources were under used for tomato cultivation except overutilization of human labor, TSP and Mop. In the study area, unavailability of good quality seed was the most severe problem among the farmers and lack of irrigation facility was the last problems of the farmers.