The country had a stock of one crore 18 lakh 97 thousand 500 cattle for the last Eid-ul-AdhaThe number of prepared cows and buffaloes were 45 lakh 38 thousand and the number of goats and sheep was 73 lakh 55 thousand. There were also four thousand five hundred other animals; which was more than requirement narrated by Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim.
Considering the average value of each cow and buffalo one lakh taka, the total value is Tk. 45,380 crore and the value of goat, sheep and other animal is Tk. 7,360 crore considering Tk. 10000 each animal. Therefore, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha alone, the contribution of livestock to the national economy is Tk. 52,740 crore. There is no doubt that this money has played a significant role in turning the wheel of the economy during the great depression of COVID-19 pandemic.
Not only buying and selling of sacrificial animals but also the overall economic activities in the country have become dynamic centered on the occasion Eid-ul-Adha.
Although the main market of the leather sector is four to five thousand crore taka, more than 10 thousand crore taka is transacted in this sector including the value addition associated with it.
Besides, spices like onion, garlic, ginger and other hot spices especially cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and bay leaves are used in this holy ceremony. These products will have a turnover of around Tk10,000 crore in the Eid market. According to economists, the market for products including knives, forks, choppers, axes, rams, sandstones, etc. is more than one thousand crore taka.
Poultry sector is the second largest industry in the country, dairy industry is an emerging and established industry. The rural economy is revolving around them. Not only that, thousands of local and foreign companies are doing business in this sector. More than 500 types of food are made from broilers alone, hundreds of products from milk! Thousands of feed mills, medicine production, importers, marketing, hatcheries, breeders, parents, commercial farms, sales, transportation systems as well as chicken and meat processing plants are being set up.
The use of milk and eggs in bakery products is universal. Along with this, backyard poultry, pegion, sheep, goat and other livestock species which is acting as a living bank in the rural economy, not only meeting the nutritional needs but also contributing to the women empowerment, education, treatment and quality of life of rural peoples. Millions of ducks in the river, haor seems to be out of sight!
Due to the changed food habits, people are leaning towards animal meat day by day. In nutrition security veterinary sector supply more than 80 percent protein, 20 percent of the total labor force is directly and 50 percent indirectly involved in livestock sector.
The livestock sector can be the largest source of employment for the educated unemployed. Leather and leather products of the country are important by-products of livestock. The contribution of leather products to industrial production and GDP is 2 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively. Contributions made for exports in 2017-18, the leather industry is just after garments. In 2017, Bangladesh government declared leather, leather goods and leather footwear as ‘Products of the Year. According to the Ministry of Commerce's leather sector export outline, the target is set to become amongst the top 10 countries in the world in leather exports by 2025 and export of 500 crore US Dollar by 2021. (Export Outline of Leather Sector, Ministry of Commerce, 2/19).
We know that the contribution of livestock to GDP is milk, eggs, meat - ducks, chickens, turkeys, quails, cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep (all together) 43 thousand 215 crore taka. But it is seen that the contribution on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha alone was 52 thousand 840 crore taka.
Therefore, the real contribution of livestock to GDP will be much more than the current data.
Due to Corona, 1 crore 64 lakh people of the country have become poor again, those whose income is less, they have suffered more. For the most part, people don't have the means to sustain for two months.
If the situation continues like this, the income of the common people will be reduced by 25 percent and the number of poor people in the country may increase by another 20 percent.
Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) sources say, about one crore Bangladeshis live in different countries of the world. A large part of the work is contract-based and there are millions who do not have valid documents. Now their income is completely off, they are in a crisis.
From highly educated industrialists to the landless, marginalized, destitute and unemployed people in rural areas, livestock and poultry work as ‘living banks’ for all of us. The bank's fund is not only providing 80 percent protein to the 180 million people, but also contributing to health, education and even playing a special role in eliminating unemployment of seventy percent of the labor force.
Therefore, to keep pace with the developed world, the livestock department needs to be more modern, up-to-date and sustainable development must be done in this sector which will ensure safe animal meat that means nutrition security. Therefore, I would like to draw the attention of all concerned, especially the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and state policy makers, to ensure that livestock is properly assessed in GDP, livestock sector is included in emergency services, modernization of manpower structure and measures are taken to bring economic mobility and reduce unemployment to a large section of the population through administrative mobilization.
Dr. Md. Nure-Alam is Veterinary Surgeon, Department of Livestock Services.
