Turkey farming gaining popularity in Sylhet

Despite having a steady apparel business in Sylhet city, Abdur Rokib Roki always wanted to venture into new territories.

“Since childhood, it was my hobby to rear birds. And I wanted to do something that will also be profitable,” said the 33-year-old.

So, he tried his luck in turkey farming in 2015, with four turkeys bought from Dhaka for Tk 6,000.

Three years down the road, Rokib and his elder brother own two farms, “Mayer Doa Poultry Farm”, in their homestead in Baghmara and “Sylhet Legacy Corporation” at Fatehpur in Sylhet Sadar upazila -- where they have 800 turkeys and as many titirs (a breed of pheasants).

Rokib is also the sole turkey distributor at a leading chain supermarket in Sylhet.

He has not only become successful, but also his research and dedication has made him a pioneer in his locality. Due to his efforts, turkey farming is now gaining popularity in the region.

But the journey was not always easy, he told The Daily Star recently.

“When my experiment with the four turkeys was proving to be successful, I bought 87 more to set up a commercial venture,” he said. “But most of them died and I had to start over again. Also, people in the region were still not used to the meat,” he said. “So I decided to sell turkey chicks,” he added.

He said he had to go to the hatcheries for hatching eggs, which was time-consuming and expensive.

“I researched online and made an incubator for hatching 4,000 eggs at a time,” he said. “I usually sell three-month-old pairs, each for Tk 1,000 to 1,500, to other farmers after vaccination.”

He said turkeys can adapt to almost any environment and rearing the bird is easy and profitable. The meat is rich and creamy in flavour and relatively lean and high in nutrition.

“Many people visit my farms. Some have started turkey farming already. I believe that the nascent industry will grow as demand for the meat is increasing,” he added.

“I set up the business with my own savings. But, whenever I need help, I contact the livestock officials and teachers of Sylhet Agricultural University,” he said.

Dr Gias Uddin, deputy director of the livestock services department, Sylhet, said besides monitoring turkey farming in the region, the department is also researching its sustainability.

Turkey is yet to become a potential meat source in the country. Each turkey weighs around 10 to 15kg. Therefore, small families do not find it economical to buy a whole bird, which also costs them much more than a broiler chicken, he said.

Supermarkets are now selling the meat in pieces to attract more customers. Campaign about the nutrient values of its meat can boost the demand and help reduce the price, said the livestock official.