Economic evaluation of chawki rearing centres in Kanakapura Taluk of Karnataka

The Chawki Rearing Centres (CRCs) occupy a special place in the commercial setting of the sericulture industry of Karnataka. They play a huge role in the success of any silkworm crop and in maximizing the farmer’s income. The Kanakapura Taluk in Ramanagara district of Karnataka is a hotspot of CRCs. Thus, the present study investigated about the economic affairs of commercially running CRCs and their financial feasibility in Kanakapura Taluk by conducting interview sessions with the CRC owners. Three categories were made based on chawki mulberry acreage: Type I (2-3 acres), Type II (4-5 acres) and Type III (6-7 acres) and economic analysis was done. The total cost of production in Type I, Type II and Type III CRCs were Rs. 39,38,487, Rs. 60,44,685 and Rs. 85,84,216 respectively and gross returns were Rs. 67,60,000, Rs. 1,08,90,000 and Rs. 1,64,43,000 respectively. Net return per 100 dfls was highest in Type III CRCs at Rs. 2504 and lowest in Type I CRCs at Rs. 2015. Financial feasibility was assessed by using Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) and it was greater than one in all types of CRCs indicating the profitable nature of CRCs. BC ratio of 1.92 in Type III CRCs and 1.72 in Type I CRCs indicated that CRCs with more mulberry acreage were more profitable than the lesser ones.