Economic Analysis and Efficiency of Small-Scale Catfish Farms in Delta State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to evaluate the efficiency and profitability of catfish farms in Delta State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study sort to: evaluate the level of efficiency in catfish farms, ascertain the profitability of catfish farms, identify the strategies for enhancing efficiency among catfish farmers and determine the effect of socio-economic and institutional characteristics on the efficiency of cat fish farmers. A multi-stage and proportionate random sampling technique was adopted in the selection of 600 Catfish farmer. Primary data were collected using well-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out on the objectives using the descriptive and inferential statistics of frequency, percentage, mean, budgetary analysis, and multiple regression technique. The result shows that majority 81% of catfish farmers were male with a mean age of 47 years. Most respondents 65% were married with a mean household size of 5 persons. Regarding education, 46.7% had secondary education and their primary sources of credit were cooperatives 41.9%. The mean farming experience was 11 years with 43.3% farming primarily for commercial purposes. The most common production method was tarpaulin 56.7%. The study identified various strategies for enhancing catfish production which include regular feeding, use of commercial feed, good water quality control, personal labor to reduce cost, and regular medication. The multiple regression model indicated that, variables such as the level of farming expertise, the type of labor employed, and educational qualification, stocking density, membership of association, pond size, and household size had significant effects on production efficiency of catfish farms. This result underscored the significance of providing customized training, group networking assistance and access to credit and extension services to enhance the overall efficiency of catfish farms in Delta State.