Finding livelihood where others saw waste

Weighed down by financial constraints since early childhood, Abdul Khaleque was forced to seek a job at a butcher's shop in Mohammadpur when he was 15.

But he soon realised that he lacked the passion for the profession.

A boy from the Bihari community living in Geneva Camp, Khaleque did not even have enough money for a small start-up venture.

But things started to change for him when he came up with an idea to generate income by collecting and selling animal fat.

The 65-year-old man has been conducting this informal business for the last 50 years.

"I do not like people calling me a butcher. So, I left the job and started collecting animal fat," he told this correspondent at his single-room unit in a three-storey building at Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur on Friday.

Khaleque operates his business from this house. Two of his four sons now work with him.

"When I started the business, I would get animal fat mostly free from the butcher shops and people. Sometimes, I used to buy," Khaleque recalled.

As time has passed, the situation has changed. Now, Khaleque even has to give advance money ranging from Tk 2,000 to Tk 5,000 to each butcher shop to get the fat daily.

His two sons -- Rana and Shoyeb -- collect the fat from at least 50 butcher shops in Mirpur, Taltola, Agargaon, Kalyanpur and nearby areas every afternoon.

Photo: Rafiul Islam

After collecting the fat from the shops, they transport it back to their house. They can buy around 200kg of fat daily at Tk 50 per kg.

The buyer from different areas come to his house in every evening and take the items away to supply to different industry. Animal fat also known as tallow is usually used for producing soap.

Khaleque said the fat market is currently not doing well.

"Butchers are trying to sell fat along with meat to customers due to the increase in beef prices. Additionally, a butcher who used to slaughter four or five animals daily can now only sell one, as the demand has significantly decreased due to the price hike," he said.

Besides, many people are now engaged in this business, leading to stiff competition, he said.

Khaleque said he became a victim of extortionists and criminals several times, and sometimes of unscrupulous traders who have refused to pay him after taking goods.

Over the years, he saw many of his neighbours indulge in different crimes, including drug peddling, to earn a quick buck but despite ups and downs, he has stuck to selling animal fat.

"I always want my family members to live an honest life," he said.

Khaleque said he purchased 10.5 decimals of land in Hemayetpur for Tk 15 lakh from his savings in 2022 to build a mosque there.

His wife Ruksana Begum supports is both a mental and physical support for him.

"We are not committing any crime, but just earning our livelihood through hard work. So, I am happy," Ruksana told The Daily Star.

Ruksana, however, said the profit in the business is not like before and it is hard to run their family from just the income earned through the business.

The family gets Tk 20,000 as rent from two shops on the ground floor of their building. Besides, they enjoy electricity and water free of cost at Geneva Camp.

Khaleque said they collect and buy animal fat going door to door during every Eid-ul-Azha and last year they got around 50 mounds of fat.

He however, feared that he may not get as much this year as many people are not sacrificing animals due to the inflation and price hike of essentials.