Over Tk 1cr birds sold at livestock fair

Birds worth over Tk 1 crore have been sold at a two-day livestock exhibition ending in Dhaka yesterday, said Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim yesterday. 

"People have much interest in livestock rearing…Over Tk 1 crore birds, not animals, have been sold at the exhibition," he told the closing session as chief guest.

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The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock organised the "Livestock Services Week and Exhibition 2023" under the theme "Smart Livestock Smart Bangladesh" next to Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Agargaon.

Campaigns focusing the week began on February 25 and will run till March 1.

Without wasting time searching for jobs on securing university degrees abroad, youths are now becoming farmers, rearing and marketing different animals and encouraging others to take up the profession, said Karim.

The government is working to form groups of livestock farmers at the most marginal levels to help them become self-sufficient and established as entrepreneurs, he said.

"Not only training, but various technical support and materials are being provided to the farmers so that they can be self-reliant and capable," he said, adding that the livestock exhibition was encouraging youths across the country to become entrepreneurs.

Farmers showcased crossbred animals having superior traits in around 300 stalls at the exhibition, drawing a large number of enthusiasts.

One of them, first grader Mustakim Rahman Arman, said, "I never see such a huge number of birds together. It's really enjoyable." His father, Md Mirazur Rahman, said there should be more of such arrangements around the year.

Md Emdadul Haque Talukdar, director general of the Department of Livestock, chaired the closing event while Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Nahid Rashid was present as the special guest.