Rangpur: Educated youth Mahmudul Hasan, 35, from Faridabad Daktarpara village in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur, has set a shining example of success by changing his fate through establishing a dairy farm, instead of chasing a job.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Mahmudul’s success has created a stir in the area and inspired other unemployed youths to take up the challenge of achieving self-reliance through dairy farming. Mahmudul established ‘Mahmudul Dairy Farm’ in his backyard as a cow milk production enterprise 11 years ago. He started fattening cattle for meat production and has sold 75 bullocks and cows to date. Currently, he maintains 20 cows, including 10 that provide milk, and produces 70 to 80 liters of milk daily.
Mahmudul transports the milk to the Aarong Dairy Chilling Center of BRAC and Dairy Milk Purchasing Center, located five kilometers from his village in Taraganj upazila town, for sale. He anticipates selling four large bulls, each weighing between 400 kg and 700 kg, for Taka 16-18 lakh ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
In addition to achieving self-sufficiency, Mahmudul employs four people, two of whom work permanently with a monthly salary of Taka 10,000. Speaking to BSS, Mahmudul shared that after passing his HSC exam in 2008, he struggled to find a job. He then planned to set up a dairy farm, consulting his father, Mozaharul Islam, who provided Taka 1.5 lakh as seed capital.
Mahmudul initially purchased two foreign dairy cows in February 2014. Both cows soon gave birth and began producing 10 to 12 liters of milk daily. With encouragement from his father, Mahmudul expanded the business by acquiring another milk-giving cow. In 2015, Mahmudul sought advice from the Taraganj Upazila Youth Development Department. The following year, he received a Taka 1 lakh loan following a three-month training on ‘Dairy Farming and Cow Fattening.’
Mahmudul’s farm has continued to grow, and he has established a biogas plant to meet his family’s and farm’s electricity needs, reducing costs significantly. He cultivates nutritious grasses on 60 decimals of land for his cows and has constructed a 2,046 square foot tin-shed dairy farm capable of housing up to 50 cows.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, his cow count increased to 32, and he produced 100 liters of milk daily. Despite facing losses due to unsold milk, Mahmudul successfully recouped his Taka 15 lakh investment and now enjoys a profitable operation alongside his wife, parents, and daughter.
Mahmudul advocates for fair milk prices to further expand the dairy sector, noting that dairy farmers still sell milk at Taka 50-55 per liter, the same rate as six years ago, despite a threefold increase in animal feed prices. Taraganj Upazila Livestock Officer Dr. KM Iftekharul Islam remarked that local youths are following Mahmudul’s entrepreneurial example by establishing dairy farms instead of seeking jobs.