Aviculture empowers Bogura youth

Humayun Kabir, known as Bird King Himu among netizens and locals at Sherpur in Bogura, has turned the wheel of his fortune taking aviculture as a profession though it was merely a hobby initially.

“After my graduation, I borrowed some money from my father and started my journey establishing a small bird rearing farm at my homestead back in 2010. My capital was just Tk 5,000, and now I earn Tk 1,50,000 per month. My parents are proud of me,” Humayun said.

Primarily, Humayun bought a pair of budgerigars and other birds to rear them as a hobby, borrowing money from his school teacher father. Over the past 12 years, his farm became a commercial entity and now is home to more than 1,000 different species of birds, such as Lovebirds, Budgerigars, Cockatiel, Java Sparrow, foreign pigeons, Diamond Dove, worth Tk 25 lakh to Tk 30 lakh.

“I breed and sell different species of birds. These birds are sold for Tk 1,000 to Tk 30,000 based on their species and availability,” said Humayun.

During a recent visit to Sadhubari village, the buzzing of twittering birds was enough to lead this correspondent to his farm. However, his popularity in the locality was also astonishing. Locals said they are proud of Humayun’s achievement.

Seeing Humayun’s success, more than 150 commercial bird rearing farms have emerged in Sherpur, and over 200 people are rearing exotic birds as a hobby, said officials at the Upazila Livestock Office. They added that more than 1,000 youths and senior citizens had found empowerment by rearing and selling exotic birds in the locality.

“I try to provide nutritious food to my birds, such as varieties of seeds, nuts, or dried fruits, and spend Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 per month. However, I make a profit of Tk 60,000 to Tk 70,000 per month and planning to expand my farm,” he said.

“If I get facilitation from the livestock department, I will try to practice aviculture at my farm commercially,” he added.

Dr Mohammad Raihan, Upazila Livestock Officer of Sherpur, told The Business Post that Humayun’s success with bird rearing had inspired many people in the locality. “More people are coming to us for suggestions, advice regarding the matter. We are providing them with training programmes, technical assistance so that they can be financially independent,” he said.

For the Covid-19 pandemic, people of all ages were homebound, and they become interested in aviculture as a hobby and business, which is crucial to ensure the survival of these rare exotic birds, he added.