The Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association (BDFA) on Saturday alleged that cattle, including cows and buffaloes, are being smuggled from India and Myanmar into Bangladesh ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
Farmers have also complained about the lack of cooperation from the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) on various issues, including veterinary care for their animals.
The leaders of the BDFA and cattle farmers made these complaints at a press briefing held at the CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital on Saturday.
BDFA President Mohammad Imran Hossain, Secretary Shah Imran Shah, the general secretary of the organisation, and various farm owners were also present at the briefing.
The BDFA stated that more cattle are entering the country through several border areas this year compared to previous years. This is sometimes done by evading law enforcement agencies and sometimes with the collusion of the administration.
BDFA President Mohammad Imran Hossain said, “The illegal smuggling of cattle from India into Bangladesh stopped in 2014, leading to a significant increase in local cattle rearing in the country. Bangladesh became self-sufficient in this sector in record time. Since then, during Eid-ul-Azha, the country has had a surplus of more than 2 million cattle each year.
“This year, 2.3 million more animals are ready than the demand. Despite this, cattle and buffaloes are entering the country through the India-Myanmar border using various methods ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.”
The BDFA president alleged that these smuggled animals are being sold openly in various border areas, noting that these animals are being transported from these border markets to different parts of the country, including the capital.
“Farmers are concerned about significant losses due to the arrival of these smuggled cattle,” he said.
“We are also worried that various diseases can spread with these smuggled animals. In this situation, the farmers have demanded strict vigilance to stop cattle from coming across the border,” he added.
Md Sajib, a farmer from Cumilla, said, "In the last few days, I visited various border markets in Cumilla and Chattogram. I saw a large number of Indian cows and buffaloes being sold in almost all the markets."
Demand for incentives
The BDFA president said that the livestock sector has suffered significantly due to the impact of Cyclone Remal, which recently battered the country.
“Farmers who reared cattle for the sacrificial market for Eid-ul-Azha have faced huge losses. At least 2.5 million cattle have been affected in 107 upazilas across 19 districts during Remal. As a result, there has been a major crisis of natural fodder. In this situation, it is necessary to provide financial incentives to the affected farmers as soon as possible for veterinary treatment, construction of cattle shelters, increase in fodder supply, and assessment of farmers' losses,” he added.
Demand for higher duty on milk powder imports
The BDFA also demanded a higher duty on milk powder imports at the press conference. They highlighted that the annual demand for milk in the country is 15.85 million tonnes, while production stands at 14.068 million tonnes. Despite investor interest, milk production is not increasing, and one major obstacle is the importation of milk powder for human consumption.
The BDFA president said that local dairy farmers are losing their competitiveness due to the importation of vegetable fat and short-term milk powder.
“These imported products, which are now frequently used in sweets, children's food, and other products, lower the demand for locally produced milk. Additionally, there are concerns about the quality of these imported products. Therefore, the duty on these milk powder products should be increased to discourage their import.”
DLS doctors not cooperative
Cattle farmers at the conference further complained that the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) doctors have not been cooperative when they sought veterinary care for their cattle.
Rashida Begum, owner of Hasina Dairy Farm in Mohammadpur, reported that recently 15 out of 20 cattle on her farm died from an unknown disease. She noted that the cooperation of DLS doctors and officials was inadequate. She claimed that doctors demanded payment of Tk 8,000-10,000 before agreeing to visit.
Several other farmers made similar complaints, saying that the officials of the DLS were not behaving in a farmer-friendly manner.
Rokon /Sharna
