Duck farming turns women income-generators

RAJSHAHI: Many women especially the poor are making a high profit from duck farming business and it becomes a stable employment source, reports BSS.
Young unemployed educated people are joining the business making their own employment source. Hundreds of poor and marginal families have become economically solvent by rearing ducks.
“Now, I’m very happy as I have got the path of regular earning,” said Shahzadi Begum, who has no educational background.
A housewife of Aradighi village under Tanore Upazila in the district, Shahzadi, 35, has brought happiness to her five-member family through duck farming.
“Now, I’m selling duck-eggs regularly and meeting up various family needs,” she added while talking to BSS.
Earlier on, local office of World Vision Bangladesh donated her 33 ducklings and imparted need-based training on rearing those in modern method.  She was also given 60 kilograms of improved poultry feed and other duck rearing inputs.
Like Shahzadi 519 other distressed and extreme poor women in Talanda and Panchandar Unions under the upazila have become income generators after getting the similar supports. The venture has inspired many others to duck farming commercially.
Commercial farming of ducks including gooses are gaining popularity in the region including its vast Barind tract for the last couple of years in the wake of gradually increasing nutritional demand and lucrative market price.
Duck products such as eggs and meat have a great demand in the local markets. So, commercial duck farming business is being adjudged as a great source of earning. Many successful farmers including women are making a high profit from their duck farming business.
Duck farming business has also become a stable employment source. Young unemployed educated people are joining the business making their own employment source. Hundreds of poor and marginal families have become economically solvent by rearing ducks. There are more than 2,500 duck farms in Rajshahi division comprising eight districts and its farming has become more profitable and sustainable, where Beel areas and wetlands are situated, said Mohir Uddin, divisional Deputy Director of Department of Livestock Services.
He said many people raised ducks in both commercial and small scale to get meat or egg. Even, they raised some ducks on their own backyard with other birds or animals. Mahtab Ali, a rural jobless person who completed graduation and failed to get a job, is presently owner of a duck farm and now able to manage his family properly. He is an inhabitant of Talanda village under Tanore upazila of Rajshahi district.
While talking to BSS Mahtab Ali said even five years ago, the income of his father, a poor farmer, was not enough to meet even the basic needs of their family.
However, he was committed to doing something positive to change the lot of his family. Therefore, he took short training course from Rajshahi Youth Development Training Center in 2008, and set up a duck farm adjacent to his house. Some of those poor fishermen families took loan from NGOs and started duck farming at their houses.
The Department of Animal Resources also came forward to assist them by supplying improved, hybrid variety of ducklings. Dr Jalal Uddin Sarder, Prof of Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science of Rajshahi University, said women, particularly the housewives, are mostly involved in rearing ducks of indigenous species.
Ducks need less expensive, simple and non-elaborate housing facilities resulting in very less cost for setting up commercial duck farming business.  They are very hardy bird and they need less care or management. They can adopt themselves with almost all types of environmental conditions.
The ducks are mostly fed home-made feed. Farmers provide rice polish, boiled rice and broken rice as supplementary feed ingredients to ducks either singly or in combination. As a whole, there are great potentials for an improvement of native duck production in the region by means of nutritional and management engineering, Prof Jalal Sarder added.

 

Duck farming turns women income-generators

RAJSHAHI: Many women especially the poor are making a high profit from duck farming business and it becomes a stable employment source, reports BSS. Young unemployed educated people are joining the business making their own employment source. Hundreds of poor and marginal families have become economically solvent by rearing ducks. Now, Im very happy as I have got the path of regular earning, said Shahzadi Begum, who has no educational background. A housewife of Aradighi village under Tanore Upazila in the district, Shahzadi, 35, has brought happiness to her five-member family through duck farming. Now, Im selling duck-eggs regularly and meeting up various family needs, she added while talking to BSS. Earlier on, local office of World Vision Bangladesh donated her 33 ducklings and imparted need-based training on rearing those in modern method. She was also given 60 kilograms of improved poultry feed and other duck rearing inputs. Like Shahzadi 519 other distressed and extreme poor women in Talanda and Panchandar Unions under the upazila have become income generators after getting the similar supports. The venture has inspired many others to duck farming commercially. Commercial farming of ducks including gooses are gaining popularity in the region including its vast Barind tract for the last couple of years in the wake of gradually increasing nutritional demand and lucrative market price. Duck products such as eggs and meat have a great demand in the local markets. So, commercial duck farming business is being adjudged as a great source of earning. Many successful farmers including women are making a high profit from their duck farming business. Duck farming business has also become a stable employment source. Young unemployed educated people are joining the business making their own employment source. Hundreds of poor and marginal families have become economically solvent by rearing ducks. There are more than 2,500 duck farms in Rajshahi division comprising eight districts and its farming has become more profitable and sustainable, where Beel areas and wetlands are situated, said Mohir Uddin, divisional Deputy Director of Department of Livestock Services. He said many people raised ducks in both commercial and small scale to get meat or egg. Even, they raised some ducks on their own backyard with other birds or animals. Mahtab Ali, a rural jobless person who completed graduation and failed to get a job, is presently owner of a duck farm and now able to manage his family properly. He is an inhabitant of Talanda village under Tanore upazila of Rajshahi district. While talking to BSS Mahtab Ali said even five years ago, the income of his father, a poor farmer, was not enough to meet even the basic needs of their family. However, he was committed to doing something positive to change the lot of his family. Therefore, he took short training course from Rajshahi Youth Development Training Center in 2008, and set up a duck farm adjacent to his house. Some of those poor fishermen families took loan from NGOs and started duck farming at their houses. The Department of Animal Resources also came forward to assist them by supplying improved, hybrid variety of ducklings. Dr Jalal Uddin Sarder, Prof of Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science of Rajshahi University, said women, particularly the housewives, are mostly involved in rearing ducks of indigenous species. Ducks need less expensive, simple and non-elaborate housing facilities resulting in very less cost for setting up commercial duck farming business. They are very hardy bird and they need less care or management. They can adopt themselves with almost all types of environmental conditions. The ducks are mostly fed home-made feed. Farmers provide rice polish, boiled rice and broken rice as supplementary feed ingredients to ducks either singly or in combination. As a whole, there are great potentials for an improvement of native duck production in the region by means of nutritional and management engineering, Prof Jalal Sarder added.