Economic Viability of Penaeus vannamei Shrimp Farming in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal

Economic viability of Penaeus vannamei farming is utmost important as this sector has been identified as a powerful tool for rural income & employment generation. The present study was undertaken in Purba Medinipur, the predominant shrimp farming district of the state. Data were collected with the help of structured interview schedule with observation method. Economic viability analysis of the vannamei shrimp producing revealed that all the cases studied generated positive net returns. Shrimp farmers who practiced one crop per year had generated net profit of Rs. 2.31 lakhs; whereas, those who cultured two crops per year had net profit of Rs. 10.03 lakhs on an average. Pay-back period was found very short i.e., 0.26 years and 0.29 years in one crop and two crop per annum, respectively which reflects that the investment in the business of Penaeus vannamei farming is repaid in the shorter time period and is considered the viable choice as investment or other costs are recovered sooner and available again for further farming purpose. Rate of return on investment was found higher (159.11%) among the shrimp farmers engaged in two crops farming per year as compared to those involved in one crop farming (107.3%). In the same way, rate of return on total cost was also higher among the shrimp farmers engaged in two crops farming per year (41.51%) as against the investment in one crop farming per year (19.84%). It would appear that the investment in big-scale on the enterprise was the wiser move. However, for both the groups of shrimp farmers rate of return on investment, total cost, variable cost as well as fixed cost was found to be higher in the Penaeus vannamei farming which implied that the enterprise is profitable in nature.