Mintu Abdur Rahman, Rangpur :
Sheep rearing has helped many poverty-stricken people at different areas under the district improve their financial condition in recent years. Hundreds of extreme poor families of the region are engaged in rearing sheep and thus they have found the way to change their socio-economic condition significantly.Ratna Begum (40), wife of Maminul Islam at Telipara village of Paglapir union in Rangpur sadar upazila told this correspondent that she had been passing her days in extreme poverty even 5 years ago.
Her husband was a farm labourer. She had to face difficulties in maintaining her family of five members with the paltry amount of income of her husband.With the aim to salvage their impoverished family she began raising sheep with the financial support from her relatives .
Eventually, fortune favoured her and she found the way to contribute considerably to her family income.Ratna said she first started sheep rearing with only two pair of sheep. Since then she has been rearing sheep and earning satisfactory profit. So far she has sold at least 20 sheep and now she has 22 sheep. She spent around Tk 30,000 at her elder daughter’s marriage last year which she earned from the sale of sheep, he added.Hajera Khatun of char Ekota village in kawnia upazila said she has been raising sheep for six years and earning satisfactory amount of the money which is mostly spent for education of her three children.
District Livestock Office Agricalrist sha jalal Khandokar said a good number of extreme poor families under the district rear different domestic animals including sheep. People living in remote villages as well as char areas find it easy to rear sheep as open grass fields are available in the areas for at least seven to eight months in a year. They can also manage other fodder easily for their domestic animals in the areas.Livestock officials also provide sufficient support to the raisers so that they can get expected benefit by rearing domestic animals , sources also said.
Owing to good profit gradually, more people are showing their interest in raising different domestic animals including sheep in recent times, sources added.
