ANALYSIS OF THE COMMERCIAL-SCALE COST OF PRODUCING FRESHWATER PRAWN Macrobrachium rosenbergii IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL UNITED STATES

Freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, production costs have mainly been estimated from experimental results or from limited numbers of producers. This paper discusses results from a cost of production survey sent to freshwater prawn producers in the south central United States in 2005. Feed and stocking costs were the highest variable costs and were related to the proximity of the input sources. Inorganic fertilizer cost was significantly greater for the south region while electrical costs were greater for the west region of the study area. The average prawn breakeven price covering all costs was $12.74, $14.27, $16.12, $17.18, and $14.55 per kilogram for producers in Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, “Other States,” and for all respondents, respectively. Producers could decrease costs by improving yields, i.e., by increasing survival and/or weight gain, or by decreasing stocking, feed, and electrical costs; or by finding multiple uses of the equipment used to grow-out and harvest freshwater prawns.