February 2023
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February 22, 2023

ToT on Global GAP-Poultry Standard organized

A three-day long training titled on Global GAP-Poultry Standard was recently organized at Dhaka for Veterinary Practitioners. This is the first-ever initiative in Bangladesh under Rural Microenterprise Transformation Project (RMTP), supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), and the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), to ensure safe meat and egg for the consumers.

PKSF and Biotech Masroom organized the program which was held from February 12th to 14th. Attending the event were 25 participants led by trainers Dr. Md. Arif Mahmud, Basetchana Francina Thabane and Dr. Susita. They discussed topics such as broiler chicken rearing, safe poultry farm construction, safe feed and water management, and food safety.

At the closing ceremony, Dr. Akand Md. Rafiqul Islam, Senior General Manager of PKSF and Project Coordinator of the RMTP Project, expressed the importance of providing training on good agricultural practices in Bangladesh to ensure safe food. According to him, it is only when food is safe that a nation can be strong and well-nourished.

Trainer Mahmud echoed his sentiments, adding that through this kind of training, the country’s farmers can be encouraged to produce safe poultry products and raise chickens even at a marginal level with proper guidance and education on good agricultural practices.

By Ehsanul Habib
News & Events
February 19, 2023

Denmark Ambassador to Bangladesh visits tulip garden in Tetulia

Denmark Ambassador to Bangladesh H.E. Winnie Estrup Petersen visited a tulip garden at Tetulia in Panchagarh on 13 February 2023. Twenty flower growers of Dorjipara village welcomed the Ambassador with tulip flowers. IFAD Country Director of Bangladesh Arnoud Hameleers, PKSF Senior General Manager and Project Coordinator of RMTP Dr Akond Md Rafiqul Islam, ESDO Executive Director Dr Md Shahid Uz Zaman, and Tetulia Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sohag Chandra Saha accompanied Ambassador Petersen during the visit.

Ambassador Petersen said, “I am delighted to see the tulip cultivation in Bangladesh. These kinds of flowers usually grow in countries with cold climates. I appreciated the farmers and the initiators for growing tulip in this remote area of Bangladesh. I hope that in the future they will expand the tulip cultivation and make it a profitable venture.”

Ambassador Petersen was delighted to learn that a tulip variety was named as Denmark Variety. She highly commended the efforts of the tulip growers, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), and the latter’s Partner Organization Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) through which a sub-project titled ‘Assess the feasibility of expanding tulip cultivation in the northern part of the country’ is being implemented.

IFAD Country Director Arnoud Hameleers spoke with the female flower growers. “I am amazed to see the tulip here in Dorjipara. I feel as if I am in my own home,” said the Dutch-born development leader. “Tulip can be a special flower for special day celebrations in Bangladesh. Tulip can strengthen the bond between Netherlands and Bangladesh friendship,” he added.

On 11 January 2023, the 20 farmers collectively sowed 1,00,000 tulip bulbs for cultivation on two acres of land. Last year, eight female farmers were engaged in tulip cultivation and they used 40,000 bulbs on 40 decimals of land in three separate places.

This season, the farmers planted 10 tulip varieties – Antarctica (white), Denmark (orange), Lalibela (red), Dutch Sunrise (yellow), Strong Gold (yellow), Zantupink (pink), White Marvel (white), Mystic van Eijk (pink), Happy Generation (white-red), and Golden Ticket (yellow).

Bengali media report on this event:

https://cutt.ly/d3R7fj3 

By Ehsanul Habib
Stories
February 13, 2023

Technology changed a life

Mithun (50), a marginal farmer, lives in Arjinaogaon Dakkin Para of Naogaon Sadar Upazila. Despite his age, this workaholic man did not give up on any work.

He has a house and a little fallow land. He could not meet the basic needs of his family members. In his family, there are five members including his wife, son, son’s wife, and grandson. He used to earn money by working on others’ land.

His wife is supportive and inspired him to do something. Mithun’s wife used to raise goats while Mithun cultivate grass in a small area. His son and wife always assisted him in this work.

He has been selected as an RMTP project participant of PKSF through its Partner Organization Dabi Moulik Unnayan Sangstha. He has received technical knowledge of high-value fodder cultivation and marketing through the “Market expansion of safe meat and dairy products” value chain sub-project. He follows all the suggestions, and leased 100 decimals of land. After a month and a half of planting grass, he started selling grass on the nearby farms. He bought two auto charger vans as there are huge demand for grass and the grass business become profitable. He also got acquainted with the meat and dairy farmers of the Naogaon and Bogura districts with the help of the project.

Now he earns BDT 3,600 daily by selling fodder of 100 decimals of leased land. He has purchased two electric tricycles to transport grass to the 60 dairy farms. Now he is a well-known fodder cultivator in his locality. Inspired by Mithun, there are 50 project participants who started the fodder business through the technical, and technological support of the RMTP project.

By Ehsanul Habib
Stories
February 13, 2023

Garol Sheep Farming: Profitable Venture in the Livestock Sector

Ashraf Ali of Kalitala, Sariakandi Upazila, Bogura, retired from a construction company at the age of 60. After retirement, he started some businesses but lost his capital. He broke emotionally. Later, he saw the lucrative possibility of raising Garol Sheep on YouTube and became enthusiastic about Garol rearing.

He said, “I started the farm a year ago with 25 Garols. However, I had no idea about their proper management and disease. As a result, faced a series of problems one after another.” He was identified as an entrepreneur in the Value Chain Development sub-project under the RMTP through its partner organization named Gram Unnayan Karma – GUK. He started raising Garol in a modern system with the support of RMTP project. With proper farm management and support from the services providers, at present, in his farm, a total of 92 Garols. Also, three  employees are working in his farm.

This IFAD–funded project is implemented by PKSF through its partner organization, Gram Unnayan Karma (GUK). Through this project, he began modernizing his Garol farming and, with proper farm management as well as support from the services providers, he was able to increase the number of Garols on his farm.

He added, “There is a huge demand for Garol meat in the market as it is delicious. Now, Garol meat is selling at BDT 800 per kg in the market. ”   

He participated in the Livestock Exhibition-2022 organized by “District Livestock Office, Bogura” in Sariakandi Upazila to inspire others to keep Garol rearing. Garol became the main attraction at that fair, and he won first place.

Ashraf Ali said, “Female Garol start giving birth at the age of six months. They usually eat all kinds of food like goat or sheep.” After deducting his monthly expenses for running the farm, he earns about BDT 12,000.

Many people are enthusiastic to visit his Garol farm and have set up a Garol farm in this area. Mia, a student from Dhap village in Sariakandi Upazila, said, “I’m rearing Garol in my home beside study. Now, I’m able to provide  extra financial support to my parents and bearing my education cost.“

Ashraf Ali said that, he will increase the size of his Garol farm in future, so that he can supply more Garol to the interested Garol farmers.

Osman Gani, a field worker at the Sariakandi Livestock Office, said Ashraf Ali is the pioneer of Garol farming. Following his success many of the local farmers rearing Garol in this area. Through the RMTP project, 70 Garol demonstration farm have been established by 8 Partner Organizations. 

By Ehsanul Habib
Stories
February 13, 2023

Cattle hotel in Sirajganj makes a mark 

There are 148 livestock markets across the country. These markets (locally called haat) sit twice a week for trading, but they remain open almost every day as traders turn up with their unsold cattle. These cattle are kept in temporary sheds near the markets, or tied up under the open sky. The traders stay around them or in nearby houses for one or two days due to unavailability of hotels in those areas. An innovative initiative by Master Shahidul Islam of Kamarkhand upazila of Sirajganj district is changing all this. 

Shahidul has been dealing with cattle for 20 years. He buys cattle from different parts of the country and supplies them to other areas, mainly Sylhet and Chittagong. At one point, he discovered that traders faced a number of challenges when they brought in their cattle to markets, as there was barely any room for safekeeping the cattle and stocking their feed.

This prompted Shahidul, a cattle trader from Sirajganj’s Kamarkhand upazila, to come up with an innovative solution: safe accommodation for both traders and cattle. He established the country’s first ‘Cattle Hotel’ in his neighbourhood in 2020. Initially, the initiative did not gain much traction as the hotel lacked some basic amenities. But things started to turn around when PKSF stepped in. The hotel was refurbished with financial and technical support from Rural Microenterprise Transformation Project, a project jointly funded by PKSF and International Fund for Agricultural Development. The refurbishment included treatment facilities for animals, installation of weight machines, improved drainage system, lighting and ventilation management, and heat reduction management. PKSF’s partner organisation National Development Programme-NDP is implementing the project in Kamarkhand. At present, cattle and traders are getting various services under the same roof.

Now the hotel, located adjacent to the Baradhul haat in Baradhul village of Kamarkhand upazila, is accommodating 10 traders and 150 cattle on average every day. A trader has to pay BDT 150 for himself and BDT 50 for each cattle for a night’s stay. While this ‘cattle hotel’ has solved the area’s age-old problem of accommodation of livestock animals and traders, it has also enhanced Shahidul’s income. 

On an average day, he earns about BDT 9,000 from the hotel. Shahidul is currently looking for more land to expand his business. Meanwhile, having seen its potential for fast growth, a number of locals have already replicated his model and set up their own ‘cattle hotel’.

Rural Micro Enterprise Transformation Project (RMTP) is working to extend the financial services of microenterprises as well as to improve the income, food security, and nutrition status of small and marginal farmers, entrepreneurs, and other market actors involved in the value chains of selected high-value agricultural products. The project is implementing value chain development activities across the country to expand the markets for comparative advantage, market demand, and growth of agro-based products.

By Ehsanul Habib
Stories
February 13, 2023

Success in commercial production of silage

Md Rubel Hossain is a 25-year-old youth of Betua village at Ullapara upazila in Sirajganj district. Born and raised in a family ruled by, above anything else, excruciating poverty, Rubel could not afford to continue his studies after the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) examinations. Now driven by a dire need to support his family, he was feeling even worse as he could not find a sustainable source of income

Rubel, already having access to internet, would watch videos on Facebook and YouTube on various micro and small enterprises. These videos inspired him to pursue an agricultural initiative but he would not see success. Rubel underwent training in fodder crop cultivation through the Rural Microenterprise Transformation Project (RMTP), which is implemented by the National Development Program (NDP) – a local Partner Organization of PKSF, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

He gained knowledge about modern ways of producing and marketing silage (green fodder compacted and stored in airtight conditions). “After the training, I cultivated five types of grass on two acres of land. Also, I received a grant of BDT 15,000 from the project. I used the money to buy a vacuum machine and started producing silage,” said Rubel, adding that his business was immediately off to a promising start. Subsequently, Rubel obtained a trade license to start a company called ‘RP Agro Silage’.

He also opened a Facebook page to promote his product, resulting in a tremendously well response from buyers even from distant places like Pabna, Barisal and Dhaka. At present, he produces and sells over 15 tonnes of silage per month to earn a net profit of around BDT 100000. Currently, Rubel is training local farmers on growing fodder in fallow land.

Following Rubel’s success, Sirajganj district Livestock Officer visited the fodder cultivation plot and silage plant, which was then subsequently visited by farmers from other areas to learn about silage production.

Rubel expressed his ambition to expand the business, including establishing a contract farming system with fodder farmers to supply fodder to his silage plant, testing silage quality at a government lab, and obtaining BSTI certification from the Bangladesh government, as well as printing sacks bearing his company’s brand name, trademark and details.

By Ehsanul Habib