First ever cattle fair concludes, drawing enthusiastic youths

The first ever Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023, Bangladesh's largest cattle show, proved to be an evening of networking and showcasing of Bangladesh's strength in the sector, generating enthusiasm among young people about farming.

The event aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of farms and farmers by promoting modern techniques for value addition.

Deputy Director (admin) of the Youth Development Department Md Atiqur Rahman told The Business Standard that this was the first national cattle expo.

"It is a gathering of farmers. We are planning to organise a fair like this in the capital every year. Along with that, it will be organised at the divisional level as well."

He said a modern method of cattle rearing was being encouraged and people could learn about it at the fair.

"When young people see something good, they want to get involved with it. They will also be enthusiastic about farming. We are now able to meet the cattle demand of the country."

Mohammad Faisal came to the fair with three friends from Uttara. His highlight was the many different breeds of cow on display.

"We have taken their contact information. I can contact them if necessary," he said.

A total of 150 farmers from different regions of Bangladesh are participating in Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023 with the best cows of their farms.

The best 12 breeds of cattle of the country were exhibited in the fair. These include: Desi, North Bengal Grey, Red Chittagong Cattle (RCC) or Lal Birish, Mirkadim, Shahiwal, Holstein Friesian, Brahman, Buffalo, Zafrabadi, Dwarf Khasi and more.

Also 400 cattle of improved breeds, goats, buffaloes, sheep and dumbas were exhibited, with more than 30- stalls related to agro tools, cattle feed and pharmaceuticals.

The total number of stalls in the fair is 150.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said, "We are working to increase the country's exports to $80 billion by 2024. Despite the corona, we exported $61 billion in the last financial year, which is set to $67 billion in the current financial year [2022-2023]."

Addressing the closing ceremony of the two-day expo on Saturday, he said, cattle farming was not just an initiative.

"Their contribution to our country's economy is huge. One crore animals are sacrificed in Bangladesh. There was a time when we had to import a large part of our sacrificial animals from India. Now during Qirbani the import of animals has almost reached zero. The youth of our country has contributed a lot to this.

Tipu Munshi said in the meantime many entrepreneurs have been created in the country and The government is providing all kinds of support to youth entrepreneurs, including necessary loans.

Abdul Samad, manager of RK Agro Farm Ltd of Narayanganj, which participated in the fair, said, "We fatten 600 cows during the Qurbani Eid. They have a weight of 150kgs to 1,200kgs. The price ranges from Tk80,000-Tk30 lakh.

"Through this fair, a relationship is being created with the potential buyers. They get to know about us. We got to talk to many farmers. Through this, our relationships have improved."

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, who came from Mirpur area, said he wanted to get into farming so this proved to be a great opportunity to learn new things.

Seminars and discussions were organised in the fair, while the Ministry of Youth and Sports awarded certificates to farmers who received training.

A total of four sessions were held in the two-day fair, Each session was conducted by trainers from Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of Livestock

Organisers said around 6,000 people bought tickets on the first day.

The Dhaka Cattle Expo 2023 has been organised by the Ministry of Youth Sports and the Department of Youth Development. Bangladesh Cattle Farmer's Association also helped implement the fair.

The fair is part of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's "Ekti Bari Ek Khamar" project.