Home ›› 05 Jul 2022 ›› Nation
Being a popular animal in the Middle Eastern countries, fat tailed sheep-- popularly known in Bangladesh as ‘Dumba’, -- are gaining popularity among the farmers of Bogura due to low cost-high profit.
Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS) Multipurpose Agricultural Farm has been rearing the desert animal in Shajahanpur upazila of Bogura.
The farm is rearing the animals in collaboration with Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation’s (PKSF) Learning and Innovation Fund to Test New Ideas (LIFT) project.
The project was initiated mostly to alleviate poverty by distributing a pair of male and female sheep among the members of TMSS. But the farm has commercially reared some thick-tailed sheep to be sold in the sacrificial animal markets ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
Although the project began in 2019 with 10 thick-tailed sheep, at present there are 1 sheep of the Persian variety and 20 of the Awasi variety.
The farmers expect that this farm will see success in raising thick-tailed sheep commercially in the future and inspire others to take on sheep rearing.
Those who are interested in the business will be trained in sheep rearing by the farm.
Dr Rehena Parveen, livestock officer-in-charge of the project, said the thick-tailed sheep were brought from Rajasthan, India. In time, a pair of sheep will be distributed among 20 beneficiary members of TMSS.
Dr Parveen added that thick-tailed sheep regularly give birth every six months. A three-month-old lamb weighs about 35-40 kg and sells for about Tk 1 lakh.
Thick-tailed sheep have about 100-150 kg of meat. Also, the cost of rearing these varieties of sheep is very low. Although they require timely vaccination, their daily diet cost about Tk 40-45.
Thick-tailed sheep are fed heavy granular food twice and fresh grass twice per day. One sheep eats 450 grams of granular food such as wheat bran, broken corn and soybean cake.
According to Dr Parveen, mutton is low in fat and high in protein and vitamin C and lessens the risk of heart disease.
Sardar Mahatab Uddin, the consultant of the farm, said thick-tailed sheep are being reared through a project of the PKSF. Sheep rearing will help towards alleviating poverty and unemployment.
“In our country, many cows, goats and sheep are sacrificed every year during Eid-ul-Azha. Hence, cattle rearing is a profitable industry,” he said.
If the people consider sacrificing thick-tailed sheep instead of cows, or goats, farmers and in turn, the country’s economy will benefit, according to the official.
Alamgir Hossain, the technical officer of the LIFT project said, “There were 16 sheep three months ago, and since then five more were born. As they are primarily desert animals, we have to keep them in similar environmental conditions.”
He added that the dry weather of the Barind region is favourable for thick-tailed sheep rearing.
Executive Director of TMSS Professor Dr Hosne Ara, said thick-tailed sheep is the animal of Mecca, the holy land of Muslims.
“We have an emotional attachment towards the animal that our Prophet (PBUH) used to eat. I expect more people to buy and rear thick-tailed sheep for this reason,” she said.
She added that she had been trying to build a thick-tailed sheep farm. They started the farm in a small capacity as the question of whether the sheep can survive the weather of this country still remains. The administration plan to expand the farm if they find commercial success.
The District Livestock Officer Dr Saiful Islam said thick-tailed sheep are desert animals but the TMSS farm has shown that they can also be reared in our country.
“If the sheep can adapt to Bangladesh’s climate, many new possibilities will emerge for our economy,” he said.
He added that thick-tailed sheep are somewhat similar to goats and easy to rear. Like goats, they breed twice a year and bear two to five lambs.
He expects that the unemployed youth in the district would be interested in raising Thick-tailed sheep if the TMSS farm finds success.
