RANGPUR, Mar 05: Sheep rearing has changed the fate of a good number of the extremely poor people living in different areas under Rangpur district.
Thousands of the extremely poor families of the region, including char areas, have found the way to change their economic condition through sheep rearing.
Baby Begum who rears sheep at Pramanikpara village in Taraganj upazila told The FE that she had been passing her days in extreme poverty 11 years ago.
"I face difficulties in maintaining our family with a paltry amount of income of my husband, a day labourer," she said.
With the aim of protecting their impoverished family, she began rearing sheep in 2013. Thus she found the way to contribute significantly to her family. In the last 10 years she has sold some 150 sheep.
Last year, she earned over one Tk 0.11 million (1.10 lakh) by selling 21 sheep, she also said.
"I spent the money on setting a tin-shed house and bought my husband a battery-run rickshaw," she added.
Encouraged by Baby, many other rural vulnerable women changed their lots by rearing sheep, she said. 50-year-old Halima Begum who rears a sheep in palichara area under Rangpur Sadar upazila told The FE that she first started rearing only two sheep.
"I had been passing hard days in acute poverty after being deserted by my husband nine years ago. After struggling, I began rearing sheep with a financial help from some of my relatives and thus found the way to get rid of extreme poverty."
So far, she has sold some 40 sheep and at present, she has over 30 sheep, Halima says.
Kashem Mia, a sheep rearer at Char Nazirdaho village under Kaunia upazila, said he first started rearing sheep around 14 years back.
Since then, he has been rearing sheep and earning a satisfactory amount of profit. So far, he sold some 100 sheep and now he has 30 sheep.
He spent around Tk 50,000 on his daughter's marriage last year. He got the money by selling sheep, he added.
Some char people have said they rear sheep as open grass fields are available in the char areas for at least seven to eight months in a year. They can also manage other fodder easily for their domestic animals in the areas.
The char people also say that they gather grass and other fodder for their livestock from the char areas. But, during rainy season they face difficulties to collect fodder. They use stocked fodder for their domestic animals during monsoon, they say.
While talking to The FE, Additional District Livestock Officer Dr Md Zobaidul Kabir says thousands of poor families in different areas under the district are getting financially benefited by rearing sheep.
Livestock officials visit different areas and provide advice and support for the people for properly rearing domestic animals, including sheep, he has said.
The livestock department is providing the char people as well as ethnic people with financial support through different projects for rearing sheep.
He further says that the department has taken necessary steps to make sheep rearing popular.
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