Production Cost and Productivity Analysis of Singhi (Heteropneustes fossilis) under Advance and Low Cost Recirculatory Aquaculture Systems (RAS) of Haryana

The study focuses on the economic feasibility of cultivating Singhi ( Heteropneustes fossilis ) in RAS farms in Haryana, India. The research involved an analysis of data collected from 14 RAS farms, encompassing both nursery and grow-out operations, with the aim of evaluating the economic feasibility of Singhi farming in RAS. The results show that the majority of farmers prefer advanced RAS systems due to their superior filtration capacity, which is attributed to the use of more advanced filtration equipment compared to low-cost RAS systems. A comparison between low-cost and advanced RAS systems revealed that while the stocking density was slightly higher in low-cost RAS, advanced RAS achieved better survival rates (77.92% vs. 70%) and similar FCRs (1.39 vs. 1.50). Additionally, the production per tank was substantially greater in the advanced RAS (1273.12 kg) than in the low-cost RAS (882 kg). Consequently, the total production per crop was higher in the advanced RAS ( ` 16,70,308) than in the low-cost RAS ( ` 16,80,000). Furthermore, the harvest size was larger in the advanced RAS (86.20 g) in contrast to the low-cost RAS (70 g). However, it’s worth noting that the study’s results revealed that the total net profit per year was higher in low-cost RAS ( ` 17,34,470) compared to the advanced RAS ( ` 13,89,032). This discrepancy can be attributed to the higher operational costs associated with the advanced RAS, including expenses related to electricity, labour, expensive filtration equipment, and maintenance. Furthermore, it is worth noting that 13 out of 14 RAS farmers favored grow-out RAS over nursery RAS, primarily because of the lower profitability associated with the latter.