Economic analysis of angora rabbit rearing in farm conditions and its comparison with alternate scenarios

Angora rabbit is mainly reared for its wool production. The data on cost and income components for one year i.e. 2003, pertaining to the Angora rabbit sector at North Temperate Regional Station (NTRS), Garsa (HP), a Sub-station of CSWRI, Avikanagar were utilized. The average per day colony statistics of the farm was 42 kits, 43 weaners, 80 growers and 432 adults. The total recurring expenditure/rabbit/year was Rs. 448.65 mainly contributed by fodder (6.4%), concentrate mixture (70.4%), contractual labor (18.0%), veterinary care (0.6%) and shearing charges (4.6%), respectively. The gross annual income of account of sale of wool, animals and meat was 51.5, 47.8 and 0.7 per cent of the total revenue generated during the year. The actual income was determined by adjusting the value of the decrement in livestock at the end of the year. The actual income was Rs.549.58/rabbit giving a BC ratio of 1.22. In situations when the project assumes field conditions, three alternate scenarios viz. home grown fodder, household family labor and home grown fodder and household family labor amounted to expenditure/animal/year @ Rs. 419.92, 367.85 and 339.12, respectively without loosing the benefits during the year. Thus, the BC ratio in three scenarios was 1.31, 1.49 and 1.62, respectively. It was concluded that the rabbit rearing for wool production is profitable in the organized farm management system by 22.0 per cent which will generate profit under the field situations by 31.0, 49.0 and 62.0 per cent, respectively, even after adopting the management system similar to our research station.