Economic Analysis of Poultry Farming Using ANN Approach in the Rainfed Areas of Jammu Region of South Asia

Abstract

India’s growth story is not in consonance with that of the development. Agriculture is non-remunerative in India, and the situation turns out to be lot grimmer if we take into account the varying degree of land areas. Rainfed areas are such areas where the remunerative potential of the farmers is relatively more precarious. In this context, the present study was conducted on poultry farming in the rainfed areas of the Jammu region of South Asia, respectively. Four districts, i.e. Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri and Udhampur, were purposively selected for the study. Production function analysis along with marginal value productivity was employed to carry out the monetary impact of the different inputs to the total production. To rule out the errors on account of skewed population of the research sample, the artificial neural network (ANN) approach using sensitivity analysis was also being conducted. The study revealed the net returns to be highest in case of Kathua region on account of the reasons like easy availability and accessibility of input requirements, proximity to the Punjab state, etc. Further, production function analysis pointed out that the chick cost, feed cost and veterinary care were significant factors. Sensitivity analysis revealed the importance of veterinary care in Kathua and Rajouri district and quality of feed in Jammu and Udhampur districts, respectively. Looking at the findings of the study, the study concluded that due care must be given to the veterinary care and quality of chicks, to make the poultry enterprise more remunerative in the rainfed regions.