Cattle rearing thwarts poverty

Women, engaged in rearing others' cattle on profit sharing basis, graze the animals on the grassland on the bank of the Teesta River at Uttar Kharibari village in Dimla upazila under Nilphamari district prior to readying them for sale in the market as sacrificial animals a couple of days before the Eid-ul-Azha. PHOTO: STAR

A good number of poor women, serving as cattle rearers on condition of profit sharing with the owners, are now busy giving final caring touch to the animals meant for sale as sacrificial animals only a couple of days before the Eid ul Azha.
In Teesta char areas of Dimla upazila under the district, a section of relatively solvent people buy cattle and hand them over to others, mostly poor women, for rearing on condition of giving half of the profit to them.
During a recent visit to Uttar Kharibari village in Tepa Kharibari union under the upazila, this correspondent saw the vast plain land of the char area covered with soft green grasses that serve as good fodder for cattle.
There, a number of poor women like Mohormala, 50, Amena, 45, Niljan, 55, Momena, 50, Amiron, 45, Morium, 42, Hasina, 35, are doing this job for the last 3-4 years, adding a little solvency to their poor lives.
"Most male members of the families in the area temporarily migrate to the capital or other big cities to work as day labourers. The womenfolk, after doing daily household chores, usually get enough leisure time. A section of them are now engaged in cattle rearing," said Mohormala.
"After rearing for months or years, oxen become large enough to sell for double or triple the buying price in Eid markets. Cows that give birth to calves and produce milk are also in great demand," said Laily, another cattle rearer.
After nurturing for a period of time, matured calves are also sold for good prices.
After realising the cost for buying the animals and expenses, the cattle owners divide the rest of the profit money equally between themselves and shared cattle rearers, they added.
"Earlier my husband, a day labourer, struggled hard to maintain the family. I started as a shared cattle rearer and my daughter helped me after return from her school or on holidays. During the last three years I reared 10 cattle and got handsome profit," said Amena Begum.
"With that money I maintained my daughter's schooling expenditure, built a house roof with corrugated iron sheets and took lease of 15 decimals of farmland," she added.
Meanwhile, attack of diseases and consequent death of the domestic animals remain a matter of concern for the cattle owner and rearers as the upazila livestock office is 15 kilometres away.
They have urged the livestock department to launch a vaccination programme at least once a month to check premature death of the cattle.
Contacted, the district livestock officer said it is not possible due to manpower shortage.
Rabiul Islam Shahin, chairman of Tepa Kharibari union parishad, said, “Women in Teesta char areas have achieved skill in cattle rearing. If the government or NGOs provide cattle for them for free or on easy terms, it can help poverty alleviation programme in the area.”