Financial and Technical Evaluation of Intensive Aquaculture Systems: A Case Study of Benha University's Fish Farm.

This study presents a comprehensive technical and financial evaluation of intensive aquaculture systems, using the fish farm at Benha University as a case study. The evaluation focuses on tilapia production under three different selling price scenarios (EGP 70, 80, and 90 per kilogram) and two levels of investment (EGP 12 and 18 million), depending on the selection of construction materials and system technologies, including concrete, fiberglass, galvanized steel, and others. Key financial indicators were analyzed, including Net Profit, Return on Investment (ROI), Profit Margin, Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Payback Period (PP). Additionally, the performance of the investment was benchmarked against fixed-income alternatives such as bank deposits offering annual returns of 15-20% for similar capital levels. Results showed that annual net profits ranged from EGP 1.09 to 5.26 million, with ROI rising from 6.1% under high-cost/low-price scenarios to 43.8% in low-cost/high-price cases. Gross profit margins ranged between 32.4% and 34.7%, highlighting the system's sensitivity to input costs and pricing strategies. The IRR reached up to 43.64% under favorable conditions, exceeding the returns of traditional bank investments, while the payback period ranged from 4.2 to 5.2 years. Break-even analysis revealed that at a selling price of EGP 70/kg, the break-even point (BEP) is 76,260 kg (EGP 5,340,600 in revenue). At EGP 80/kg, the BEP declines to 54,899 kg (EGP 4,391,596), and at EGP 90/kg, it further decreases to 42,886 kg (EGP 3,858,267). These figures demonstrate that raising the selling price significantly reduces the production volume needed to cover costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]