Want to start a new career in farming? Here is how to begin

Touhid Parvez Biplob had a fascination for cattle since childhood. On Eid-ul-Adha, he would always take care of his family's sacrificial animals. 

Upon returning to Bangladesh from New Zealand after completing higher education in 2010, Biplob took charge of the family flour mill in Bogura. Besides, he built a small shed to raise six cows and bulls; it was more about his fascination with cattle than for business purposes. 

However, in ten years, what began as a small farm built out of sheer love for cattle, has now sprouted into a full-fledged business with hundreds of cows and bulls, a few dozens of goats, and some deers. 

"During 2015-16, some of my relatives began to buy cattle from me. I sold 12 bulls for the first time in one batch and made a little profit. That is when it occurred to me that I can actually do it professionally," Biplob told The Business Standard. 

In the following years, he regularly kept expanding his farm. "From 12 to 30, then 60 in the following year, then 70, and finally this year before Eidul Adha, I sold 269 cattle."

This year, Biplob targeted to sell 365 cattle from last Eidul Adha to the next and he already has sold 120. "I think I will achieve my target in six months. I am delivering around five bulls even today. And my farm always has around 180 cattle. The numbers will increase to nearly 350 before Eid-ul-Adha."

Why farming?

Biplob is one of the many recent farmers who joined the popular trends of cattle farming as the market demand for red meat is high. 

Although the government says that Bangladesh is self-sufficient in red meat, the market depicts a different story. Today, one kilogram of red meat costs around Tk600 – much higher than the average global price. While the rich here can avail beef sometimes, the underprivileged can smell it from far. The government data hardly reflects in the market.

You should have a plan for how you invest. Suppose you have Tk10 lakh. The best investment in this figure would be building a shed for Tk2 lakh, buying cattle worth Tk6 lakh (out of which, you should purchase Tk2 lakh worth of cows), and the remaining investment should be spent on food. 

Market experts point out many reasons like extortions the traders face on the way to the cattle market, lack of availability of cattle, and India's strict monitoring of cattle smuggling at the border for unusual price hikes. 

The people in farming, however, believe that besides getting rid of extortions and solving aforementioned issues, more entrepreneurs joining the cattle farming, which is already a popular career choice for many, could solve Bangladesh's red meat crisis. 

"Although there are proverbial sayings that Bengalis eat rice and fish, we love beef a lot. So today, despite whatever we are producing at home, we are still dependent on Indian cows and bulls and raw meat imports from different countries. The absence of what results in the unusually high price of beef," said Biplod. 

"With more entrepreneurs in cattle farming, we will be self-reliant in the red meat business and if necessary, we can export as well. The career prospect in this line is high and it will never lose its appeal," he added. 

Farming hacks for the beginners 

Biplob, from his decade-long experience in cattle business, shared the know-hows of farming with The Business Standard to enlighten enthusiasts. 

We have compiled Biplob's advice in bullet points: 

• If you are a young entrepreneur seeking to explore the cattle business, do not just jump in with a huge investment. Proceed step by step with a low number. Perhaps raise five to ten cattle in the first batch. Gather experience and learn. 

• Take training. Gain real-life experience from somewhere. Biplob is offering first-hand training in his farm. You may contact him and receive first-hand experience. Without first-hand training, your farming endeavour may end up being a failure

• If you can give it full-time, start expanding your business. The cost of raising one cow and hundred cows are not the same. If one cow requires Tk6,000 of expenditure a month, a hundred cows would require Tk4,000 each per month.  "I am not saying start with 100, start with five or ten," Biplob said.

• When you begin farming, start by dividing the cattle based on types. If you start the farm with ten, there should be three 15 litre-cows. If you can sell 45 litres of milk at as little as Tk50 a litre, much of your expenses can be managed. 

• Do not build farms only to sell cattle on Eid. There should be a continuous flow of sales. Any time in a year, when you can sell them and make profit, go for it – do not wait for too much profit at a time.  

• You should have a plan for how you invest. Suppose you have Tk10 lakh. The best investment in this figure would be building a shed for Tk2 lakh, buying cattle worth Tk6 lakh (out of which, you should purchase Tk2 lakh worth of cows), and the remaining investment should be spent on food. 

We asked how Biplob maintains cattle's health as he owns hundreds of them. He said, "Since I have a huge cattle stock, I have a vet who gives a certain time at my farm every day. The rest of the time, if I have any problem, he comes here on call. My employees here can understand the basic health issues like fever or diarrhoea." 

"There are some health concerns one should keep in mind. For example, proper vaccination for worms keeps the cattle healthy and the food will have its due impact. Besides, the vaccination for food and mouth (FMD) disease is also very important. Without the FMD vaccination you may fall behind schedule by two months." 

In response to our question about how much land is required to build a farm like the one built, Biplob said his farm has two 220FT long and 33FT wide sheds, some sheds are 100Ft and some are 50FT. In total, "I have 10 bigha for the farm, and 12 bigha for grass. Grassland is a must." 

 "Besides, I have a 100FT long quarantine shed where I can quarantine 30 cattle at a time. When you buy a cow or a bull, you need to observe it for a few weeks before you can let it loose amidst your own herd. The new member may carry different diseases and affect other in the herd. So you should build a shed of around 100 feet apart from the farm," he added. 

All this may sound tough for beginners, but Biplob assures, "If you think taking care of all these are very difficult, it is not. I have been doing this for long and I have not found them very challenging."