Commercial sheep farming stressed to cut rural poverty

Veterinary experts and academics emphasized commercial sheep farming to reduce rural poverty alongside meeting protein demand of people.

They put the stress while taking part in a virtual meeting titled “Prospect of Sheep Farming in Bangladesh and Importance of Lamb Meat” on Saturday afternoon.

Bangladesh Livestock Society (BLS) and the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Rajshahi University jointly hosted the meeting on behalf of the ‘Validation of Good Practices of On-farm Lamb Production System’ project with financial support of Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF).

KGF Director (Livestock) Dr Mehedi Hassan and its predecessor Dr Kazi Komor Uddin, Professor Abul Hashem from the Department of Animal Sciences in Bangladesh Agricultural University and Chief Investigator of the project and BLS President Professor Jalal Uddin Sarder addressed the meeting as resources persons, while Co-investigator of the project and BLS General Secretary Dr Hemayetul Islam moderated it.

Dr Mehedi Hassan observed that a large-scale promotion of commercial sheep farming can be the effective means of meeting the existing protein demands as it can contribute to the increased production of woolen fibre and improvement of rural livelihood as well.

He said rearing and conserving of native sheep should be given priority for poverty reduction and creating employment opportunities.

The experts have urged the rural people to start sheep farming commercially using modern methods and technology to meet nutritional demand and produce valuable wool to help develop woolen textile in the country.

On behalf of the project, 59 farmers were given 600 lambs besides imparting them with need-based training on how to rear those in three categories in Paba and Godagari Upazilas in Rajshahi district.

A model sheep slaughterhouse and lamb meat sale centre has also been opened for the first time in the city for the sake of public interests.

The project intends to boost the supply of high nutritious lamb meat with improving the living and livelihood condition of the marginal farmers through rearing lambs.