Expanded dairy farming can eradicate protein deficiency

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BSS, Rajshahi :
Substantial and sustainable expansion of animal resource farming is very important for removing the existing protein deficiency along with cutting the poverty rate in the region.
The unemployment problem in the rural areas could be reduced to a greater extent through making the dairy farming popular at the grassroots level.
Moreover, the dairy sector, having huge prospects, can bring about a revolutionary change in the socioeconomic condition of the poor by alleviating poverty.
For this, proper exploration of the prevailing prospects of dairy farm sector is a must through setting up of related industries to usher in a new era for overall economic advancements to ensure smooth developments and building a digital Bangladesh.
Prof Dr Jalal Uddin of Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science of Rajshahi University told BSS that the northwestern region has an enormous prospect of expanding the livestock sector through best uses of the existing natural resources.
In addition to meeting the nutritional deficit especially meat and milk, the livestock rearing is very helpful for increasing soil nutrient, which is being declined gradually due to indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers.
Terming the sector as a neglected one, he said collective efforts of all extension and research organisations have become an urgent need to attain the goal.
“The sector needs a political will,” he added. Dr Jalal opined that only cattle play an important role in agricultural operation side by side with providing valuable human nutritional foods like milk and meat, industrial raw materials like skin and manures, socioeconomic security and income generation.
He, however, said most of the people suffer from malnutrition specially lacking animal protein like milk, meat and egg. In this context, he revealed that production of huge amount of meat through the indigenous beef-cattle improvement would supply low cost meat for people and it will ultimately recover them from malnutrition.
Production of good breed cattle from existing indigenous stock by applying artificial breeding technology particularly Shahiwal and local cattle cross breeding is very essential in this regard.
Abu Bakker Ali, former president of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told BSS that enormous prospects are there in the dairy farm sector and asked all concerned for taking necessary steps towards this direction.
Thousands litres of milk are being produced daily in all eight districts including Rajshahi and Natore and lack of adequate marketing facilities and milk processing industries are hindering desired growth of the sector.
Setting up of more dairy farms, milk processing and chilling factories could contribute a lot to changing the economic conditions of the common people and alleviating poverty and eradicating monga once for all, he added.
The chamber leader, however, said the dairy farmers, who were in distress and frustration in the district and about to close their farms due to frequent loss even a few years back, are now getting profit by selling their produced milk by dint of some effective measures in this regard.
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