Poultry can be a profitable sector for women
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Md. Mahbubur Rahman Bulbul
LARGE scale poultry farming can be more profitable than it now is in Bangladesh. That is why, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is keen to provide financial assistance to the sector through a member of micro-finance institutions in Bangladesh. Poultry and dairy farming can reduce the burden on agriculture. Increase in output, processing and marketing of profitable agricultural goods can create employment for the rural population.
For this purpose, the ADB and the government of Bangladesh (GoB) have jointly allocated a big fund for implementing the new 'agro-business development project'. For the development and positive change in agriculture sector of Bangladesh, the ADB channels funds through MFI-ASA, BRAC and TMMS. The government has sanctioned the required funds for loan disbursement in related projects. ASA received Taka 100 million (10 crore) for the disbursement of loans through its branches from May, 2007.
The already profitable poultry farming is changing the lifestyle of women entrepreneurs and their families in Bangladesh. Their hard work on poultry farming transformed their family fortunes in the towns and villages. Everywhere they get financial support to develop the farms. But bird-flu creates occasional problems for the sector.
Last year, bird-flu almost destroyed the sector. Some poultry farmers could save themselves from bird-flu with their own ingenuity. Public sector banks, especially Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB), responsible for giving financial assistance to such projects, provided little support. But the microfinance institutions (MFIs) lent a valuable support to the beleaguered poultry farmers.
The MFI loan programme made many women entrepreneurs. Many men and women benefited from the ASA's agro-business loan programme. Now in Bangladesh, ASA is providing their microfinance programme to 8.0 million (80 lakhs) poor and helpless people through their 3400 branches entire the world. Most of the borrowers of ASA are women. ASA's agro-business loan product is for the small and emerging entrepreneurs. This loan product helps them to run their business well along with creating employment opportunities for others especially in agriculture sector. This activity helps to face the unemployment challenges to some extent. ASA is giving a large number financial support for the development of poultry and dairy farmfisheries projects and for cultivation, plantation etc., under their agro-business development project. There are the largest number of women micro entrepreneurs in Bangladesh whose are self-sustainable by the financial assistance of ASA's agro-business loan programme.
Now ASA is providing its microcredit to eighty million poor in Bangladesh. Most of the borrowers, women, take ASA's agro-business loan for the small and emerging entrepreneurs. This loan product supports them to run their business, which also creates employment for others, especially in the agriculture sector. ASA is giving financial support for the development of poultry and dairy farms, fishery and plantation. Under their agro-business development project. A large number of women micro entrepreneurs in Bangladesh became self-reliant with micro credit from ASA.
According to a case study, 40-year old Mrs Parveen Begum supports her family of four, 45-year old husband, Quamrul Islam, and two kids, with the profit she earns from her poultry. The family has been living in the village of Moyraboo under Bhulta union of Narayanganj district for 35 years. She runs a big poultry farm at her residence. Once a housewife, she has become a model to others for her poultry farm.
She studied upto class ten. Financial problems made their family life far from happy. When she started her poultry project, she faced a lot of financial problems to run it. She approached ASA, Bhulta branch in Narayanganj. The branch manager Md. Rubel Hossain and district manager Md. Mahmud Kadir Talukder encouraged her to develop her poultry farm at her residence eight years ago. At the outset, she borrowed Taka 15,000 from the branch in 2001. Next time, she borrowed Tk 70,000 from ASA. She invested all the money in the poultry farm. She took a fourth loan of Tk 2,00,000 from it to expand her farm. Later, she took a big loan under the agro-business development project of ASA in 2008. Lastly, she took Taka 3,50,000 as agro-business loan to expand the project.
Now she owns a big poultry, 'Riad Poultry Farm', with eight thousand layer. She sells four thousand eggs every day, the prime source of her profit. Buying and selling of layers are also profitable. On an average, every day she gets a profit of Tk 1,500 from the farm. After meeting the costs, she makes a net monthly profit of Tk 45 thousand. Now she is an established woman entrepreneur.
The writer serves the ASA
LARGE scale poultry farming can be more profitable than it now is in Bangladesh. That is why, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is keen to provide financial assistance to the sector through a member of micro-finance institutions in Bangladesh. Poultry and dairy farming can reduce the burden on agriculture. Increase in output, processing and marketing of profitable agricultural goods can create employment for the rural population.
For this purpose, the ADB and the government of Bangladesh (GoB) have jointly allocated a big fund for implementing the new 'agro-business development project'. For the development and positive change in agriculture sector of Bangladesh, the ADB channels funds through MFI-ASA, BRAC and TMMS. The government has sanctioned the required funds for loan disbursement in related projects. ASA received Taka 100 million (10 crore) for the disbursement of loans through its branches from May, 2007.
The already profitable poultry farming is changing the lifestyle of women entrepreneurs and their families in Bangladesh. Their hard work on poultry farming transformed their family fortunes in the towns and villages. Everywhere they get financial support to develop the farms. But bird-flu creates occasional problems for the sector.
Last year, bird-flu almost destroyed the sector. Some poultry farmers could save themselves from bird-flu with their own ingenuity. Public sector banks, especially Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB), responsible for giving financial assistance to such projects, provided little support. But the microfinance institutions (MFIs) lent a valuable support to the beleaguered poultry farmers.
The MFI loan programme made many women entrepreneurs. Many men and women benefited from the ASA's agro-business loan programme. Now in Bangladesh, ASA is providing their microfinance programme to 8.0 million (80 lakhs) poor and helpless people through their 3400 branches entire the world. Most of the borrowers of ASA are women. ASA's agro-business loan product is for the small and emerging entrepreneurs. This loan product helps them to run their business well along with creating employment opportunities for others especially in agriculture sector. This activity helps to face the unemployment challenges to some extent. ASA is giving a large number financial support for the development of poultry and dairy farmfisheries projects and for cultivation, plantation etc., under their agro-business development project. There are the largest number of women micro entrepreneurs in Bangladesh whose are self-sustainable by the financial assistance of ASA's agro-business loan programme.
Now ASA is providing its microcredit to eighty million poor in Bangladesh. Most of the borrowers, women, take ASA's agro-business loan for the small and emerging entrepreneurs. This loan product supports them to run their business, which also creates employment for others, especially in the agriculture sector. ASA is giving financial support for the development of poultry and dairy farms, fishery and plantation. Under their agro-business development project. A large number of women micro entrepreneurs in Bangladesh became self-reliant with micro credit from ASA.
According to a case study, 40-year old Mrs Parveen Begum supports her family of four, 45-year old husband, Quamrul Islam, and two kids, with the profit she earns from her poultry. The family has been living in the village of Moyraboo under Bhulta union of Narayanganj district for 35 years. She runs a big poultry farm at her residence. Once a housewife, she has become a model to others for her poultry farm.
She studied upto class ten. Financial problems made their family life far from happy. When she started her poultry project, she faced a lot of financial problems to run it. She approached ASA, Bhulta branch in Narayanganj. The branch manager Md. Rubel Hossain and district manager Md. Mahmud Kadir Talukder encouraged her to develop her poultry farm at her residence eight years ago. At the outset, she borrowed Taka 15,000 from the branch in 2001. Next time, she borrowed Tk 70,000 from ASA. She invested all the money in the poultry farm. She took a fourth loan of Tk 2,00,000 from it to expand her farm. Later, she took a big loan under the agro-business development project of ASA in 2008. Lastly, she took Taka 3,50,000 as agro-business loan to expand the project.
Now she owns a big poultry, 'Riad Poultry Farm', with eight thousand layer. She sells four thousand eggs every day, the prime source of her profit. Buying and selling of layers are also profitable. On an average, every day she gets a profit of Tk 1,500 from the farm. After meeting the costs, she makes a net monthly profit of Tk 45 thousand. Now she is an established woman entrepreneur.
The writer serves the ASA