Cost and Return Analysis of Biosecurity Management in Poultry Farms in Rivers State, Nigeria

Cost of preventing disease incursion and containment in poultry management is gaining attention in scientific and public debates. Biosecurity involves the use of relevant resources to secure poultry-based food production system (products, producers and consumers health) from diseases. This study investigates whether biosecurity resources are efficiently utilized to enhance maximum profit in poultry-based food production. Primary data used for the study were obtained from 120 sampled poultry farms. Multi-stage procedure was adopted in the selection of the sampled farms. Structured questionnaire was the data collection instrument used for the investigation. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were employed in data analysis. Also cost efficiency model and profit functions were usedto analyze data. The result shows that bio-secured poultry farms had a mean profit of  N  150,230 higher than  N  92,590 earned by bio-insecured farms. Profitability of biosecured poultry farms significantly and positively correlated (2.02)** with bio-security management index (p<0.05). The major constraints to bio-security management of poultry farms were high cost of effective disinfectant/vaccines and unwillingness of farmers to adopt effective biosecurity management practices. The researcher has sufficient reasons to conclude that biosecurity resources were efficiently utilized, hence the relative high profit that was realized. However, the biosecurity management index gap of 37.5% observed in the study suggests that there is still room for improvement.