A Study on Supply Chain Analysis and Marketing Margin of Catfish Seed in Mymensingh District, Bangladesh

Aims: This study examined the supply chain and marketing margin of catfish seed in selected areas of the Mymensingh district. The objectives include analyzing supply chain management, marketing margins of catfish seed production, and identifying the challenges in production and marketing systems.

Study Design: This study used a quantitative approach with a questionnaire data collection method.

Place and Duration of Study: Samples were taken from four upazilas of Mymensingh district- Gouripur, Trishal, Mymensingh Sadar, and Muktagacha. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews between mid-September and mid-October in 2019.

Methodology: The sample size was 120 including 30 catfish seed farmers, 30 paikers, 30 wholesalers, and 30 retailers. This study employed supply chain analysis, net return and net marketing margin analysis, and descriptive statistics.

Results: The study found that retailers had the highest net marketing margin of 1664 Bangladeshi Taka (Tk.) (15.21 US Dollars) for 10 kg spawn, while paikers earned the highest margin of Tk. 11148 (101.93 US Dollars) for 100,000 pieces of fingerling. The annual net return per acre from spawn production in hatcheries was Tk. 9,469,097 (86580.71 US Dollars), and from fingerling production in nurseries was Tk. 455,783 (4167.45 US Dollars).

Conclusion: The research indicated that catfish seed farms with hatcheries were more profitable than those with nurseries. Hatchery owners, nursery owners, and traders faced significant problems in their operations, such as a lack of information on quality seed, higher input prices and price fluctuations, non-availability of various inputs, and poor communication systems. Based on the result, recommendations were made to support the development of catfish seed farms and traders as a promising sector in agribusiness.