Govt to form 5,500 farmer groups to boost livestock

The government plans to form 5,500 farmer groups in a bid to boost the country's livestock farming, according to a statement.

The groups will be created by the Department of Livestock Services with technical assistance from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The groups will help livestock farmers become more productive, get better market access, and improve their resilience to climate change and other risks, speakers said at an event jointly organised by the Department of Livestock Services and the FAO yesterday.

The groups will be formed across 61 districts and will include cow, buffalo, goat, sheep and poultry farmers.

"Producer groups present a key opportunity to drive transformation in Bangladesh's livestock sector," said Robert D Simpson, the FAO representative to Bangladesh.Producer groups are also of great benefit to women and youths who make highly valuable contributions to the groups they belong to and lead.

"With the right training and investment opportunities, producer groups can fulfil their potential, generate more wealth and produce more nutritious food while reducing their carbon footprint," Simpson added.

In both developed and developing countries, livestock contributes anywhere from between 20 and 40 per cent of an economy's total agriculture sector, supporting 1.3 billion people worldwide.

Around 34 per cent of the global food protein supply comes from livestock, the FAO said in the statement.

The FAO's Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP), funded by the World Bank, is working with the Department of Livestock Services to establish and mobilise farmer groups which will receive technical and financial support.

The LDDP is also working to create a national management strategy for the livestock sector, supporting livestock farmer field schools and assisting in drafting national policy.

SM Rezaul Karim, fisheries and livestock minister, and Monjur Mohammad Shahjada, director general of the Department of Livestock Services, also attended the workshop.