Duck rearing along river brings success

Ruhul Amin, once a poor farmer at Borkotia village in Kalapara upazila, has achieved huge success and became self reliant now by rearing ducks and geese along the river bank.

Ruhul, who used earn his livelihood as a farm labourer earlier, set up the innovative farm along the Shibbaria river bank only a year back and is getting fruitful results by selling the birds every three months.

“Aiming to mitigate my family expenses, I planned to set up a duck farm on an abandoned land alongside the river nearby my house,” Ruhul said.

“As per plan, I borrowed money from some of my relatives and started the farm with only 200 ducklings,” he added.

“Every morning I took all my ducks to the river, which reduces the birds' feeding cost,” Ruhul said, adding that it takes him only Tk 300 daily to feed all the birds.

“I sell a duck for Tk 300 to Tk 350 and a goose for Tk 800 to Tk 1,200 at local markets in every three months,” he said.

Ruhul said his wife Nurunnahar helps him in the farm as he started vegetable farming and fish cultivation beside the duck farm recently.

During a visit to the area on Sunday this correspondent found the couple, blessed with five children including two daughters, have finally achieved solvency by utilising abandoned government land.

They married off their two daughters while their younger son is studying at a local madrasa. Their other two sons live separately.