COST - BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF AFRICAN MUD CATFISH (CLARIAS GARIEPINUS, BURCHELL, 1822) FRY FED DIETARY BETAINE HYDROCHLORIDE BASED DIET

Abstract

This study was carried out at the Aquatic Bio - Resources Unit, National Biotechnology Development Agency, Katsina, Katsina State. One of the objectives was to evaluate the cost - benefit of Clarias gariepinus fry fed dietary betaine hydrochloride based diet. Betaine hydrochloride was incorporated in the form of a feed additive at T₀ (0.0g/100g,), T₁ (0.25g/100g), T₂ (0.5g/100g), T₃ (0.75g/100g) and T₄ (1.0g/100g) inclusion levels, respectively into 0.2 – 0.5mm size Coppens fish feeds containing 49% crude protein. Diet without betaine hydrochloride served as the control (T₀), in triplicates. Diets were fed to fry (n = 1,500. 0.26±0.0g) for 28 days in 15 plastic hatchery tanks (n = 100). Fry were fed at a fixed feeding rate of 10% body weight 6 times daily between the hours of 07:00 and 23:00 at regular interval. Cost - benefit analysis was calculated for each of the diets. Mean net profit value (₦19.05), benefit cost ratio value (2.74) were better along treatments with the least incidence of cost value (₦1.67) in fry fed diet T₂, while the mean net profit value of ₦11.30 was least in fry fed the control diet (T₀), benefit cost ratio value (1.65) was least from both the fry fed diet T₁ and diet T₃, while the highest (poor) incidence of cost value of ₦2.37 was recorded from both fry fed diets T₃ and T₄ respectively. This study indicated that the incorporation of dietary betaine hydrochloride into C. gariepinus fry feed containing 0.5g/100g level was a profitable venture for African mud catfish breeders, considering the highest
profit index value (4.37).