Expansion of livestock farming stressed

Wide-ranging expansion of livestock farming is needed to remove the existing protein deficiency along with cutting the poverty rate in the country's northwestern region.

The unemployment problem in the rural areas could be reduced to a greater extent through making the dairy farming popular in the grassroots level.

Dr Jalal Uddin, an associate professor and chairman of Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science of Rajshahi University, told BSS that the northwestern region has an enormous prospect of expanding the livestock sector through best uses of the existing natural resources.

In addition to meet the nutritional deficit especially meat and milk, the livestock rearing is very helpful for increasing soil nutrient, which is being declined gradually due to indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers.

Terming the sector as a neglected one he suggested a collective efforts of all extension and research organisations to attain the goal. "The sector needs a political will," he added.

Dr Jalal opined that only cattle play an important role in agricultural operation side by side with providing valuable human nutritional foods like milk and meat, industrial raw materials like skin and manures, socio-economic security and income generation.

He, however, said most of the people suffer from malnutrition specially lacking animal protein like milk, meat and egg. In this context, he revealed that production of huge amount of meat through the indigenous beef-cattle improvement would supply low cost meat for people and it will ultimately recover them from malnutrition.

Production of good breed cattle from existing indigenous stock by applying artificial breeding technology particularly Shahiwal and local cattle cross breeding is very essential in this regard.