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Abstract
A study was conducted to show existing sweet potato cultivation practices in respect to its economic viability at farm level in two selected char areas of Bangladesh during the period April-May, 2005. The study revealed 8% of the total cultivated area allocated and the farmers mostly used sandy loam to loam soil for its cultivation. On an average, farmers applied Cowdung, Urea, TSP, and MP at the rate of 1746, 62.5, 60.5 and 52.5 kg/ha, respectively. The average yield of sweet potato was 17.47 t/ha. Farmers of Sherpur got the highest yield of 18.81 t/ha due to intensive management practices with gross margin of sweet potato Tk 30736/ha with an average cost of Tk 28525/ha on total cost basis. Average benefit-cost ratios were 1.43, 3.21 and 1.62, 3.37 on full and cash cost basis. The return from sweet potato was observed to be positively related to the inputs like human and animal labour, vine, cowdung, Urea and MP, except TSP. The productivity effects of these inputs were positive whereas TSP effect was negative and statistically significant. It was evident that farmers could increase the output by judicious and higher allocation of labour, animal labour, cowdung, Urea and MP.