The Black Bengal Goat is known as the poor people’s earning source. In Chuadanga district poor people earn their livelihood through rearing it all the year as traditionally and commercially. So that rearing of Black Bengal Goats by people is a reliable component of poverty alleviation in the district.
Ultra poor and poor people especially women, housewives, female and male students have been rearing Black Bengal Goat at all villages of Chuadanga. This area is fit for rearing of the goats, it is learnt.
Sources added, Blank Bengal Goat has worldwide reputation as a source of quality leather, delicious meat and nutritious milk. The meat of goats has high demand in the country.
The female goat gave birth to three or four kids at a time. The Black Bengal Goat are seen on the roads and by-roads of even the remote area in the district. Some people have been rearing goats in their homesteads or on the bamboo made plat forms. Many farmers and others said they have been earning at minimum Tk 150,000 rearing 20 goats.
Parvina Khatun, wife of Rafiqul Islam from Hazrahati in Chuadanga told the Bangladesh Post that she has purchased one female goat at Tk 6,000 six month back. Now the goat gave four kids recently. Two kid of goat is sold at Tk 8,000. At present she is owner of 7 goats.
Lima Khatun of village Bishnopur in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga district bought two goats with a loan of Tk 20,000 from Wave Foundation and built a shed and platform for rearing the goats. The two goats first gave birth to 6 kids and passing half a year sold it Tk 30,000. After that she purchased again some kids. Currently she is owner of 23 goats.
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Liam Khatun said she was struggle in life for want of money. Now she maintains her family with dignity in the society by selling goats. Nobody is called her ultra-poor family. Her name and fame is popular in the area as owner of Black Bangle Goat Farm.
Shahbuddin Ahmed, a goat farmer of Chuadanga district town, said he bought two goats 24 years back but he has now about 50 goats at his farm. His family has never been in need since his rearing goats.
Muktar Ali from Hazrahati of Sadar Upazila of the district said he has 30 Black Bengal Goats. Every at 10 am he goes out of his home with goats for grazing in the field and returns home at 5 am. So rearing expenses of the goat is low and achieve huge profit by selling goats.
Chuadanga Government Goat Development Farm was established in Chuadanga in 1997 on 10 acres of land in the town to conserve the Black Bengal Goat breed of the district. About 650 Black Bengal Goats are in the farm. Every year goats are supplied from the farm at different parts of the country specially 10 districts of Khulna Division for breeding it.
Arman Ali, Livestock Officer of Chuadanga Government Goat Development Farm, said we are to supply the goat among people mainly low income groups and unemployment youth for increasing income generation.
According to Chuadanga District Livestock Department, over 500,000 goats are reared in the district. The goat meat is being sold on the quality at Tk 650-700 per kg. The annual income by selling goat meat and leather in the district is about Tk 2,000 crore.
Golam Mostafa, District Livestock Officer of Chuadanga District said Chuadanga can be called the most Black Bengal Goat producing area in the country. The area is suitable for rearing the goats due to in favorable climate, weather, and land as goats do not suffer from any diseases. So that it becomes reliable components of poverty alleviation for the people in Chuadanga.
It may be mentioned here that Chuadanga District Administration declared Chuadanga as famous for rearing Black Bengal Goat and it has become an honoring identity of the district now.