The economies scale for fish meat production farms operating in the Musayyib fish market, Iraq, in 2020

Al-Musayyib District is famous for its fish farms due to its location close to Baghdad and the central Euphrates governorates, the availability of water resources, and the expertise of breeders. The research aims to estimate the production and cost function of fish farms, the partial production elasticities, and the total production elasticity of the production function and determine the optimal behavior of the estimated cost function, from minimizing costs, maximizing profit, and determining the optimal production volume. The sum of the partial elasticities of these variables, expressed in the total production elasticity of the estimated function, was 1.273, which is greater than the correct one, meaning that there is an increase in the return to capacity. The number of rearing meals ranged between 1-2, and the design capacity of earthen ponds varies between 10000-480000 m2, producing 1350-145250 kg/year. 38 kg/year is the quantity at which the average cost reduction is achieved. At the same time, the best normal net profit is achieved, meaning that the profit-maximizing quantity is 5.865 tons/year for production farms in the study area.