PM assures enhanced facility for goat, sheep rearers

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said her government would actively consider giving enhanced credit facilities for goat and sheep rearers as experts developed a new variety of cloths mixing wool with jute and yarn. 

"The (other) cattle growers now get 5 percent credit facility so it should also be applicable for promotion of other branches of animal husbandry," she said at a function at her office here as she was gifted with newly produced cloth items made of wool, jute and yarn. 

The premier said "we would surely talk to the Finance Minister in this regard" and advised the goat and sheep rearers to avail the credit facilities provided by the Karmasahasthan Bank and SME Foundation at a lower rate.

Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) in collaboration with Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) made items like blanket, shawl, doormat, prayer mat and other household items mixing wool made of local varieties of sheep, jute and yarn. 

Sheikh Hasina also extended her sincere thanks to the BLRI scientists for their new innovation saying "it is really an epoch making innovation".

Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Saidul Haq, state minister Narayan Chandra Chanda, secretary of the ministry M Masudul Haq and Director General of the BLRI Talukder Nuran Nahar spoke among others on the occasion.

Officials said the population of different kind of sheep is around 34 lakh which produce

about 3400 tonnes of wool every year, but regretted that lack of technical knowhow barred the country from yielding economic benefit from the sector. 

The items were produced under a BLRI-BJRI project called 'Society based and commercial production and rearing' launched by the fisheries and livestock ministry at the premier's directive. 

Sheikh Hasina laid importance on cooperative based goat and sheep rearing and proper marketing of wool and other items alongside meat and hide to make the business viable for the growers, mostly marginal poor women.

Sheikh Hasina lamented that there was no budgetary allocation for research before 1996 when the Awami League government took office 21 years after 1975 tragedy.

The allocation, she said, boosted the agricultural research resulted in increasing the production of food, meat, milk and other items and contributing to make the country attain self-reliance in food and nutrition.

Terming the sheep as one of the great resources of the country the prime minister said Thailand has launched a project to produce high yielding goat through cross breeding of the Black Bengal Goat with British species to produce milk.

Sheikh Hasina said as an agricultural land Bangladesh need to give emphasis on animal and fish resources. Development of the sector is very crucial to ensure their food security, nutrition and produce household items, she said.

The prime minister expressed her firm conviction that Bangladesh would never be a poor country and every people would have the opportunity to change their lots taking opportunities of extended by the government.

Source: bss