About 12 years ago, Fazlur Rahman went to buy a duck from a neighbor in his village, intending to eat it. But the neighbor refused to sell. Frustrated at being turned down, he decided he would raise ducks himself instead. That single moment of stubbornness changed his life.
Fazlur Rahman, son of Mofiz Uddin of the Darugram area, Kushumbi union, Sherpur upazila, Bogura, now raises nearly 3,000 ducks on just 24 decimals of land. His farm produces around 1,500 eggs a day, and he earns a solid income from egg sales and various duck-related ventures.
A visit to Darugram on Sunday afternoon, August 23, found Fazlur Rahman’s duck farm visible as soon as one enters the area. Part of the 24-decimal plot holds a pond, while the rest has been built up with duck-rearing sheds. Nearly 3,000 ducks are cared for within this limited space.
Fazlur Rahman said he personally feeds the ducks rice, snails and commercial feed from morning to evening. When fields lie empty after paddy harvesting and threshing, the ducks are let loose to graze there, which cuts down somewhat on feed costs — though he needs to hire help to watch over the ducks when they are out in the fields.
He said his farm produces around 1,500 eggs a day, which sell for about 19,500 taka daily. That works out to roughly 585,000 taka a month from egg sales alone. In addition, each six-month production cycle brings in an estimated 1.5 million to 1.8 million taka after expenses.
Fazlur Rahman’s household once struggled with poverty. That picture has changed completely since he took up duck farming. After 12 years in the business, he is now self-reliant.
Fazlur Rahman said his long experience is his greatest asset in raising ducks. To date, he has treated various duck diseases using his own experience, without support from the livestock department.
Word of his expertise has spread to nearby areas, and people now come to him from various places for treatment advice for their ducks. Seeing his success has also spurred growing interest in duck farming among unemployed youth in the area.
Dr Md Niaz Kazmir Rahman, livestock officer at the Sherpur Upazila Livestock Department and Veterinary Hospital, said: “There are around 50 duck farmers in this upazila, though the number fluctuates from time to time. Farmers are given regular treatment services and advice so that none of them suffer losses due to disease.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report