Duck farming draws poor and rich alike
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29/07/2008
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New Age (Bangladesh)
Duck farming is gaining popularity in Mymensingh, with both the poor and rich people getting involved in the business.
The poor and middle-class families are doing the business by taking loan from different non-governmental organisations and the government's cooperative department.
The rich are involved in the business as lenders to small farms. They finance small farmers on profit to be divided as per their share in the farms, duck farmers said.
Some small farm owners told the New Age correspondent that they are making good profit by selling ducks and eggs even after taking loans. Most of them repay their loan in time, they added.
Saiful, son of Abdul Jalil of village Balikha under Phulpur upzila, has become solvent by rearing ducks. He said duck farming has changed the condition of his family, which was not possible with the income from agriculture farming.
He set up a farm near the haor area and engaged a man with a monthly wage of Tk 2,000 to look after the ducks, which feed on snails, fishes and algae in the haor, marshy lands and crop lands.
He is now the owner of 420 ducks and earns Tk 25,000 per month by selling 210 eggs every day on an average.
Saiful informed that his success has inspired a good number of people of his area and some have already set up duck farms.
Hasna Begum, wife of Abdul Motalab of village Kamaria, now owns a duck farm. Hasna, who crossed only primary education, earns Tk 5,000 to Tk 7,000 a month from her farm and add to the income of her day labourer husband.
There are 200 ducks in her farm and she collects around 100 eggs every day, which her husband sells in local market.
Thirty-five years old Hasna, mother of two sons, said earlier she worked as a maid in a house of the village. She could save Tk 7 every day. When her savings reached Tk 1,000, she bought seven ducks and started her farm.
Al-Amin, son of day labourer Abdul Quddis at village Char Iswardia under sadar upzila, said he and his father had started a duck farm last years with a loan from a money lender at high interest rate.
After paying the loan, they are now earning around Tk 6,200 every month, said Al-Amin.
Abul Hashem, another day labourer of village Barbila village the same upzila, said he started a duck farm by taking loan from a local money lender. He had to give sixty per cent of the profit to the financier.
He is now making a profit of at least Tk 1,000 every month after meeting all costs and repaying the loan.
Like many, Abul Khaleq of Kamaria, Fazlu of Naldigi, Amzad Ali of Bhalikha of Phulpur are reaping benefits of duck farming.
Small farmers said they chose duck farming because it is easy to rear the ducks in the haor areas where natural feeds are available almost round the year. Usually ducks are not attacked with diseases, they said.
The profit of the business has also lured many unemployed educated youth.
The farmers said certain diseases break out in the winter season, which affect the ducks.
The livestock department should give more attention to encourage the profitable business and supply medicine free of cost, they said.