Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Goat Production System in Chattogram District in Bangladesh

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown for a long period have created a significant adverse impact on different sectors, including that of agriculture and other allied sub-sectors in Bangladesh. The present study aimed to depict the impact of this pandemic on the goat production system in the country, which has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in recent years. Data were collected randomly from 30 goat farms from Khulshi, Pahartoli, Ak Khan areas of Chattogram metropolitan area., Bangladesh. The study reveals that the majority (53.33%) of the farmers were middle-aged and 66.67% had no training in goat farming. About experiencing goat farming, 73.33% of farmers fell into the category of having 3 to 6 years of experience and 26.67% of the farmers had more than 6 years of farming experience. The data also shows that the prices of feed both roughages and concentrates increased during covid-19. Total cost per goat per month escalated during the pandemic to taka 2266.8 from taka 1822.26 while total return reduced to taka 8145.16 from taka 9356.18. Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) on a cash cost basis was 6.03 before covid-19 and 4.34 during covid-19. BCR on a full cost basis was 5.13 before covid-19 and 3.59 during covid-19. Paired sample test indicates that there is a significant relationship between the monthly income from goat production before and during covid-19 in the selected farms. The mean value of monthly income between 2020 and 2019 is -1251.38, an indication of a highly significant (p<0.001) negative impact on profitability and a lower income during the covid-19 scenario. Regarding problems in goat rearing, data indicated that among the 11 major problems, ‘high feed cost due to covid-19’ ranked first with 106 problem indices (PI). Other major problems are lack of credit facility, Wholesale price fall due to pandemic, Decreased market demand of goat meat, Insufficient and inadequate veterinary services, Lack of government assistance, etc. The government should introduce evidence-based strategies with the implementation of small-scale goat farming and livestock development projects that could cover the emerging needs of the future