ZCZC
BSS-02
CATTLE-FATTENING-RAJSHAHI (with picture)
Cattle fattening makes rural people income-generators
RAJSHAHI, Aug 3, 2019 (BSS) – More than 12,500 rural people most of them
women in the region are now passing their busiest days in taking care of
their domestic cattle to sell those in the ongoing sacrificial cattle
markets.
“I, myself, prepare straw, grass and other fodders and wash her
fattening cattles regularly,” said Anjuman Ara Begum, 43, while talking to
BSS in her semi-pucca house in Gogram village under Godagari Upazila of the
district.
Her neighbour Abdus Sattar, 53, having four bulls, narrated his success
story of the business. At least 43 other families of the locality are
fattening cattle including bulls to catch the lucrative sacrificial cattle
market.
“We see an income-generation atmosphere in the village over the bull
fattening,” he added.
Already, they have replaced their traditional domestic cattle-rearing
process with modern and commercially potential ones.
They become habituated to various money transactions including borrowing
loans from different public and private commercial banks for purchasing bulls
alongside repaying those in due time.
The farmers formed Medium and Small Enterprise (MSE) in Premtaly village
with a noble intention of making their bull fattening business profitable and
sustainable.
The initiative were taken to disseminate the best learning and practices
to other neighbours to elevate their socio-economic condition and more women
empowerment through boosting the sector that can meet the country’s protein
deficiency.
Like Premtaly, around 12,500 rural people are operating more than 425
cattle fattening MSEs in 17 upazilas of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and
Pabna districts, said Kollyan Kumar Fouzder, Divisional Deputy Director of
Department of Livestock Services.
He added that the producers have adopted new and improved skills,
practices and technologies in cattle fattening contributing to enhanced
production and productivity.
All the line departments have become proactive towards supporting market
actors especially Local Service Providers (LSPs) and Service Providers
Associations (SPAs) by dint of their complementary roles in extension
services.
In practice, the LSPs provide training, advice and input to the
producers and earn on an average Tk 4000 per month. Routinely, they extend
different modern technology to the producers through setting demonstration
plot in the locality.
They organize community meeting for generating public awareness about
quality inputs.
In all the MSE areas, service contracts were established to provide
regular necessary services and inputs to the farmers. SPA has a good
collaboration and linkage with line departments and private companies. As a
result, a win-win business model has been developed among them.
District Livestock Officer Humayun Kabir told BSS that the venture
promotes various value-addition activities of bull fattening which reflected
a sustainable economic change of the poorest people particularly women.
Many of the rural families have been rearing and fattening bulls
commercially and earning huge profits every year. In the wake of expansion of
modern technology, the animal husbandry sector is flourishing in the areas
boosting the local economy that reduces import of sacrificial animals from
India, he added.
Meanwhile, sacrificial animals are being brought to the various cattle
markets including city hat, Nawhata, Baneshwar, Rajabari, Mohishalbari,
Damkura and Chowbaria.
BSS/SPL/AH/FI/1258 hrs