Fair showcases commercial viability of exotic livestock

Imagine your local Sonali chicken but on steroids. Weighing 4.5 kilogramme and of the height of a toddler, the breed is called Brahma, a chicken with its origins in America.

Now imagine another chicken that is completely black for a dominant gene, including its feathers, beak and even internal organs. It is known as Ayam Cemani, a rare breed of chicken from Indonesia.

Such exotic oddities were being showcased by a 22-year-old at a recent "Livestock Service Week and Exhibition-2024".

Sazzadul Islam can be best described as a self-made entrepreneur.

In his third year studying for an honour's degree in English at Gaibandha Government College in Bogura, he started off as a pigeon fancier before his interest expanded to commercial rearing of different chicken breeds during the pandemic.

"During the pandemic, I saw videos and pictures of some exotic Silkie chicken (originating in China and Japan) on a Bangladeshi Facebook page," he said.

He started thinking about how to do business with such chicken.

"I found out that this chicken is not for meat -- people buy and keep it as a hobby. There is very high demand," he added.

Islam contacted the person running the Facebook page and bought a pair of Silkie chicks for Tk 2,000.

The two hens started laying eggs after six months and after another two months, 15 chicks hatched out.

Islam began purchasing different breeds of chickens one after another from one importer.

At present, there are 300 chickens of 28 species on his farm. He and his brother ran the farm initially but now he has 14 employees whom he pays Tk 80,000 in salaries a month in total.

The operations have been kept running thanks to high demand, with as many as 10 chickens being sold to customers around the country every day.

The Ayam Cemani comes with the lowest price tag of Tk 1,000 each at his farm while Sultan, a Turkish breed of crested chicken, the highest of Tk 30,000.

Every month, after meeting all expenses, Islam makes a profit of Tk 40,000 to Tk 50,000.

"It is really amazing for me," he said, adding, "My father didn't like it at first. But he doesn't say anything anymore."

Islam's chickens were a big draw at the two-day fair organised in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar by the Department of Livestock Services and the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association marking "Livestock Service Week and Exhibition-2024".

Photo: Palash Khan

Ending last Friday, the fair showcased over 3,000 animals and birds, many of which were also on sale, by entrepreneurs just like Islam.

One of them is Shoriful Islam Sunju who brought nine horses of different breeds, three of which were sold at the exposition.

On enrolling for higher secondary education in 2006, he bought a horse with money provided by his mother.

On graduating from a private university in Dhaka, he returned to his home in Begunbari of Mymensingh sadar upazila in 2014 and took up a job as a community healthcare provider while setting up a farm to rear horses.

The hobby turned into a commercial venture three years ago when he hired two workers to look after 24 horses of different breeds such as Marwari, Sindhi and Nukra brought from Rajasthan, Bihar and Punjab in India, he said.

Sunju sells horses not only among affluent people but also those who participate in races and to Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Ansar and VDP. He also rents out horses for various social events, including marriages.

Many horses have to be imported every year to meet the demand, for which he is trying to breed and rear them in the country, he said.

Sunju declined to share details about his sales, but stated that he was "making a good profit".

Another big draw at the fair were two Hallikar cattle, a breed native to the state of Karnataka, India. They have long, vertical and backward bending white horns one and a half feet in length.

Hallikar animals are world famous for their excellent "draught power capacity", endurance and discipline at work and the two cattle, weighing about 2,600 kilogrammes in total, were priced at Tk 12.5 lakh each.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, different breeds of animals and birds have been highlighted in the exhibition and people got to know about improvements.

Seeing this, many may become interested in farming, they added.