Support of the Livestock Division in BRAC's Ultra Poor Programme
Saturday, 15 December 2007
Ishrat Firdousi
A national workshop titled "The combined role of the Livestock Division of the Government of Bangladesh and BRAC on improving the lifestyle of the ultra poor" was organised by BRAC Advocacy and Human Rights Unit (BAHRU) was held recently at BRAC Centre at Mahakhali, Dhaka.
Presided over by BRAC's Executive Director Dr. Mahabub Hossain, the chief guest was Director General of the Livestock Division, GOB, Sunil Chandra Ghosh. Special guest was Director of Livestock Directorate (Extension), GOB, Dr. Shanti Ranjan Das.
The welcome address was given by Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury, BRAC Director, Micro Finance. He said that between 20 to 25 percent of the population of Bangladesh are ultra poor. "This ultra poor segment is deprived of all services and benefits enjoyed by the rest of society. They do not even get any help from the NGOs. So we need to work together 9in this area.
A video documentary featuring the improvement in the lifestyle of the beneficiaries of BRAC's Ultra Poor Programme titled "Road to Freedom" was also screened.
Successful implementation of the Extended Ultra Poor Programme in the districts of Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Faridpur, Magura and Narail on 2007 was highlighted in the workshop.
Rabeya Yasmin, Programme Head, CFPR-TUP, BRAC, said that the main goal of BRAC's Ultra Poor Programme was to provide income generating assets as grants to the underprivileged ultra poor people so that they can be self-employed and can improve their lifestyle to be able to join the stream of development.
"If the assets are livestock then the animals are bought and handed over. If it is agriculture they have chosen then land is leased and the beneficiary is provided with all necessary input like tools, seeds, fertilizer, pesticide, etc. Before they can begin, all beneficiaries are required to undergo training on the income generating activity of their choice.
"The last and most important stage is monitoring or supervision. Under the Programme, weekly upazilla and monthly district level close monitoring and supervision is carried out by BRAC.
"Among the one lakh beneficiary households/families under the Programme, 98 percent have chosen to raise livestock. But monitoring such a huge number of animals is not possible on the part of BRAC alone and this is why the support of the Livestock Division is so necessary."
Md. A. Salek, Programme Head, BRAC Agro and Salt Industries said that 20% of national farm animals get veterinary assistance from the government's Livestock Division and 8% gets it from BRAC and other NGO's. But 70% is not getting any veterinary assistance and BRAC over the years has added more than 20 lakh families into this programme.
Dr. Shanti Ranjan Das, Director, Livestock Directorate (Extension), GOB said that the two limitations of the Livestock Division were lack of manpower and short supply of vaccines. "The Livestock Division can be the only tool to sustain the lives of the ultra poor and in order to make this programme effective there are two things that are needed: increase in headcount and greater supply of vaccines. The staffs of the Livestock Division are competent and sincere and they know how to behave with the poorer mass. They are working tirelessly in all corners of the country. I call on everyone to closely incorporate them into the ultra poor programme."
Chief Guest Sunil Chandra Ghosh, Director General of the government's Livestock Division said that even a few days back, people at the livestock department knew nothing about this programme of BRAC.
"In 15 districts, 30,767 ultra poor beneficiaries received a cow each, 34,672 received a pair of cows each and 8,630 received a goat each. If the ultra poor selection process under BRAC's CFPR-TUP moves smoothly then it would be possible to select 1 to 2 people from every village. Which means that if selected arbitrarily, for every 50 to 100 target beneficiary, the number of target villages will be 15 to 20. But this kind of selection process will make it somewhat hard to work with for both BRAC and the Livestock Division. Therefore if a limited number of villages are selected from every Upazilla then it will be easier for BRAC to closely monitor the programme and it will also be easier for the Livestock Division to provide service.
"The issue that has been in discussion the most was the lack of supply of vaccines. Regarding this, the demand for vaccine needs to be ascertained first, which means that information/statistics needs to be gathered for each type of disease and its particular vaccine. Therefore for poultry the demand for Ranikhet and BCRDB needs to be ascertained and for cattle the demand for Anthrax. Currently there is a crisis of BCRDB vaccine for poultry and Acendi vaccine for cattle of. Acendi vaccine is not used much because it is very expensive.
The production cost of this medicine is Tk 60 but it sells for Tk 8 to 10.
Dr. Mahabub Hossain, Executive Director, BRAC said that according to income elasticity theory, which looks at the increase in spending on particular goods as a response to an overall increase in income, the income response is highest on agricultural goods like fish, meat, egg and milk. He said, "When somebody's income increases 10%, spending on these goods increases 15%. That means that with an increase in income the demand for these products rise even higher comparatively.
"The Agricultural Commission which was created during 1996-98, was told to take appropriate measures to increase the supply of these goods. According to the forecast of this commission, the daily demand for these goods in rural areas will be 51 grams and in urban areas it will touch 80 grams. By 2020 this per capita figure will be 65 grams in rural areas and 100 grams in urban areas.
"According to the survey on family income and expenditure pattern 2005 conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, consumption of meat, egg and milk in rural area is 18 grams and in the city it is 32 grams.
"For a balanced diet the minimum per capita daily requirement for these types of foods are 34 grams which demands a total supply of 18 lakh tons, but the total consumption for 2005 stood at 11 lakh tons which means a shortfall of around 64%. If the supply can not be ensured then the price of these goods will increase and only those who have the means will be able to afford these goods while the price will go out of the reach of the poor people. This is exactly what is happening right now. In the last two to three years the price of these goods increased much higher than other goods.
"In the last five years GDP growth rate has been 6.5% while the population increase came down to 1.3% from 3%. But per capita income has increased at the rate of 5% and if per capita income continues to rise then demand for these goods will come up to 7.5% annually. But if the supply falls behind the expanding demand then the cost of living will rise. Therefore, we need to increase the supply of livestock.
"Impact of livestock on the betterment of standard of living and income has been undertaken in this programme. In the area of agricultural development BRAC has put special emphasis on livestock and poultry rearing to improve the livelihood of the ultra poor.
"In view of the prevailing perception of BRAC as a lender, its grant programme has not come to public knowledge. We firmly believe that only lending cannot eradicate poverty. We need to also ensure proper training, optimum usage of the loan and technical assistance.
"Along with lending and providing grants, BRAC has its health and education programme in order to achieve comprehensive development. BRAC has already provided assistance to 65 lakh families.
"The recipients of these loans are below the poverty level. But a large portion of the population is so poor that they are not eligible for these loans.
"Therefore, this programme for ultra poor was undertaken in 2002 so that they could make themselves self-reliant through transfer of assets and training. The target for this programme is to serve 10% of families in the lowest income level. The two unique features of the selection process of ultra poor of this programme are that land holding of the family has to be below one tenth of an acre and there cannot be any earning male member of the family.
"Because of the increase in population the number of families with less then 0.10 acre is on the rise and they do not have the ability to service a micro credit. That is why these families needs to be under a programme where even after paying back the loan and the service charge the family can still count on some profit. Participants in the credit programme can only participate in the loan programme when the rate of return in their investment is more that 25%. Only then can the continuity of economic development be maintained.
"The ultra poor cannot command such a rate of return therefore BRAC has undertaken this grant programme for them. Only two years under this programme can make the ultra poor capable of handling micro credit. The grant programme livestock is the most profitable and therefore 80% to 90% recipient of the grants programme go for cow/goat or poultry raising option. In this livestock programme the greatest threat is the issue of disease control. That is why the help of the livestock department is deeply needed.
"The other problems include ensuring: adequate supply of fodder and marketing of products from livestock and poultry. To solve these problems, BRAC has taken up initiatives to extend the distribution of seeds for hybrid maize and the collection and processing of dairy products.
"The ultra poor can be found everywhere in the country. They are not concentrated in any poor district or poor Upazilla or poor village. That is why this programme needs to be expanded to all parts of the country."
A national workshop titled "The combined role of the Livestock Division of the Government of Bangladesh and BRAC on improving the lifestyle of the ultra poor" was organised by BRAC Advocacy and Human Rights Unit (BAHRU) was held recently at BRAC Centre at Mahakhali, Dhaka.
Presided over by BRAC's Executive Director Dr. Mahabub Hossain, the chief guest was Director General of the Livestock Division, GOB, Sunil Chandra Ghosh. Special guest was Director of Livestock Directorate (Extension), GOB, Dr. Shanti Ranjan Das.
The welcome address was given by Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury, BRAC Director, Micro Finance. He said that between 20 to 25 percent of the population of Bangladesh are ultra poor. "This ultra poor segment is deprived of all services and benefits enjoyed by the rest of society. They do not even get any help from the NGOs. So we need to work together 9in this area.
A video documentary featuring the improvement in the lifestyle of the beneficiaries of BRAC's Ultra Poor Programme titled "Road to Freedom" was also screened.
Successful implementation of the Extended Ultra Poor Programme in the districts of Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Faridpur, Magura and Narail on 2007 was highlighted in the workshop.
Rabeya Yasmin, Programme Head, CFPR-TUP, BRAC, said that the main goal of BRAC's Ultra Poor Programme was to provide income generating assets as grants to the underprivileged ultra poor people so that they can be self-employed and can improve their lifestyle to be able to join the stream of development.
"If the assets are livestock then the animals are bought and handed over. If it is agriculture they have chosen then land is leased and the beneficiary is provided with all necessary input like tools, seeds, fertilizer, pesticide, etc. Before they can begin, all beneficiaries are required to undergo training on the income generating activity of their choice.
"The last and most important stage is monitoring or supervision. Under the Programme, weekly upazilla and monthly district level close monitoring and supervision is carried out by BRAC.
"Among the one lakh beneficiary households/families under the Programme, 98 percent have chosen to raise livestock. But monitoring such a huge number of animals is not possible on the part of BRAC alone and this is why the support of the Livestock Division is so necessary."
Md. A. Salek, Programme Head, BRAC Agro and Salt Industries said that 20% of national farm animals get veterinary assistance from the government's Livestock Division and 8% gets it from BRAC and other NGO's. But 70% is not getting any veterinary assistance and BRAC over the years has added more than 20 lakh families into this programme.
Dr. Shanti Ranjan Das, Director, Livestock Directorate (Extension), GOB said that the two limitations of the Livestock Division were lack of manpower and short supply of vaccines. "The Livestock Division can be the only tool to sustain the lives of the ultra poor and in order to make this programme effective there are two things that are needed: increase in headcount and greater supply of vaccines. The staffs of the Livestock Division are competent and sincere and they know how to behave with the poorer mass. They are working tirelessly in all corners of the country. I call on everyone to closely incorporate them into the ultra poor programme."
Chief Guest Sunil Chandra Ghosh, Director General of the government's Livestock Division said that even a few days back, people at the livestock department knew nothing about this programme of BRAC.
"In 15 districts, 30,767 ultra poor beneficiaries received a cow each, 34,672 received a pair of cows each and 8,630 received a goat each. If the ultra poor selection process under BRAC's CFPR-TUP moves smoothly then it would be possible to select 1 to 2 people from every village. Which means that if selected arbitrarily, for every 50 to 100 target beneficiary, the number of target villages will be 15 to 20. But this kind of selection process will make it somewhat hard to work with for both BRAC and the Livestock Division. Therefore if a limited number of villages are selected from every Upazilla then it will be easier for BRAC to closely monitor the programme and it will also be easier for the Livestock Division to provide service.
"The issue that has been in discussion the most was the lack of supply of vaccines. Regarding this, the demand for vaccine needs to be ascertained first, which means that information/statistics needs to be gathered for each type of disease and its particular vaccine. Therefore for poultry the demand for Ranikhet and BCRDB needs to be ascertained and for cattle the demand for Anthrax. Currently there is a crisis of BCRDB vaccine for poultry and Acendi vaccine for cattle of. Acendi vaccine is not used much because it is very expensive.
The production cost of this medicine is Tk 60 but it sells for Tk 8 to 10.
Dr. Mahabub Hossain, Executive Director, BRAC said that according to income elasticity theory, which looks at the increase in spending on particular goods as a response to an overall increase in income, the income response is highest on agricultural goods like fish, meat, egg and milk. He said, "When somebody's income increases 10%, spending on these goods increases 15%. That means that with an increase in income the demand for these products rise even higher comparatively.
"The Agricultural Commission which was created during 1996-98, was told to take appropriate measures to increase the supply of these goods. According to the forecast of this commission, the daily demand for these goods in rural areas will be 51 grams and in urban areas it will touch 80 grams. By 2020 this per capita figure will be 65 grams in rural areas and 100 grams in urban areas.
"According to the survey on family income and expenditure pattern 2005 conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, consumption of meat, egg and milk in rural area is 18 grams and in the city it is 32 grams.
"For a balanced diet the minimum per capita daily requirement for these types of foods are 34 grams which demands a total supply of 18 lakh tons, but the total consumption for 2005 stood at 11 lakh tons which means a shortfall of around 64%. If the supply can not be ensured then the price of these goods will increase and only those who have the means will be able to afford these goods while the price will go out of the reach of the poor people. This is exactly what is happening right now. In the last two to three years the price of these goods increased much higher than other goods.
"In the last five years GDP growth rate has been 6.5% while the population increase came down to 1.3% from 3%. But per capita income has increased at the rate of 5% and if per capita income continues to rise then demand for these goods will come up to 7.5% annually. But if the supply falls behind the expanding demand then the cost of living will rise. Therefore, we need to increase the supply of livestock.
"Impact of livestock on the betterment of standard of living and income has been undertaken in this programme. In the area of agricultural development BRAC has put special emphasis on livestock and poultry rearing to improve the livelihood of the ultra poor.
"In view of the prevailing perception of BRAC as a lender, its grant programme has not come to public knowledge. We firmly believe that only lending cannot eradicate poverty. We need to also ensure proper training, optimum usage of the loan and technical assistance.
"Along with lending and providing grants, BRAC has its health and education programme in order to achieve comprehensive development. BRAC has already provided assistance to 65 lakh families.
"The recipients of these loans are below the poverty level. But a large portion of the population is so poor that they are not eligible for these loans.
"Therefore, this programme for ultra poor was undertaken in 2002 so that they could make themselves self-reliant through transfer of assets and training. The target for this programme is to serve 10% of families in the lowest income level. The two unique features of the selection process of ultra poor of this programme are that land holding of the family has to be below one tenth of an acre and there cannot be any earning male member of the family.
"Because of the increase in population the number of families with less then 0.10 acre is on the rise and they do not have the ability to service a micro credit. That is why these families needs to be under a programme where even after paying back the loan and the service charge the family can still count on some profit. Participants in the credit programme can only participate in the loan programme when the rate of return in their investment is more that 25%. Only then can the continuity of economic development be maintained.
"The ultra poor cannot command such a rate of return therefore BRAC has undertaken this grant programme for them. Only two years under this programme can make the ultra poor capable of handling micro credit. The grant programme livestock is the most profitable and therefore 80% to 90% recipient of the grants programme go for cow/goat or poultry raising option. In this livestock programme the greatest threat is the issue of disease control. That is why the help of the livestock department is deeply needed.
"The other problems include ensuring: adequate supply of fodder and marketing of products from livestock and poultry. To solve these problems, BRAC has taken up initiatives to extend the distribution of seeds for hybrid maize and the collection and processing of dairy products.
"The ultra poor can be found everywhere in the country. They are not concentrated in any poor district or poor Upazilla or poor village. That is why this programme needs to be expanded to all parts of the country."