Shahidul Islam Shahid, an educated youth of Gabtoli upazila in Bogura, has become a successful entrepreneur through koel farming and set a shining example for unemployed people.
Once there was nothing, he was worried about how he would run the family. But things have changed gradually after the start of koel farming with only 100 birds. Now, he sells birds, eggs and chicks worth several crore of taka annually.
Young Shahid, who once left the government job, is now a successful farmer and becomes a shining example of success.
He once became a victim of laughter for building a small egg and bird farm. No one in his family wanted him to lead a life on a farm. However, he became a successful entrepreneur with sincere efforts and hard work. He has now 70,000 koel birds in his farm. The successful entrepreneur sells koel birds, chicks and eggs worth about Tk 4 crore a year.
Shahid, son of farmer Diraj Prang of Durgahata village under Gabtoli upazila, had stayed in a hostel in the town for study after passing SSC examination in 2005. He used to pay for his education from the hostel, and when it became difficult, he worked as a part-timer for a private institution. After passing HSC, he worked in a garment factory for a month and returned to the part-time job again. He was worried about running his family as they had nothing, except 3.5 decimals of land for living.
thought of building a koel farm in the year 2010 after he saw that people were eating eggs of the bird at Satmatha in the town. He bought 100 koel birds with Tk 3,500 and started the farm. In the beginning, the family members teased him about this. In the meantime, in 2016, he got the job of office assistant at the Relief and Disaster Directorate. Thinking that koel farming will be more profitable than the job, he returned to the farm after working for three years. The entrepreneur who passed MA from history department has moved forward without paying attention to the words of many people. The number of birds of his farm increased day by day. In the last 14 years, he has built 30 small farms where the number of birds is more than 70,000. He has become self-reliant, employing 40 people.
Shahid said he produces eggs from Japanese koel birds. He is selling 600,000 eggs per month (Tk 2 to 3 per piece), producing 150,000 chicks per month in own incubator and selling 45,000 edible birds per month. A bird weighs 220 to 250 grams after eating food worth Tk 24 in 25 to 30 days. These edible birds are sold for Tk 30 to 35. A bird of 45 to 60 days lays more than 300 eggs in a year. He hatched the baby in 18 days in the incubator and sold it for Tk 7.
The koel birds of Shahid’s farm are now being supplied to all over the country, including the capital Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram. Koel birds do not have any other diseases except the cold problem and their immunity is also high. He said many people now come to him for advice. There was nothing, but now he has built a farm on 2 bighas of land. He has built a house and developed a mother koel and hatchery.
He has taken initiatives to make unemployed people of the village self-reliant and helpless women are in that list. He built about 30 farms. Many have benefited from tending to the farms on contract basis.
said besides meeting the family nutritional needs at a low price, he wants to build a farm on a larger scale with employment for the unemployed. In that case, his dream will be fulfilled if he gets government support. This entrepreneur feels comfortable introducing himself as a farmer.
