Dairy Farming in Bangladesh

Developing a Profile for Dairy Farm

Chapter-1

Introduction

Dairying is an important source of subsidiary income to small/marginal farmers and agricultural laborers. Bangladesh has a population of 160 million people; more than 80 percent of them, or approximately 16 million households, are located in rural areas. An estimated two-thirds of those households own livestock. Although population growth is slowing, there are still almost 1 000 people per sq km – the highest density of any country in the world (excluding small island-nations and city-states). The dwindling per capita land resource is one of the causes of persisting poverty in the county, according to contemporary human development reports from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): More than half the population owns less than 0.5 acres; the bottom 40 percent possesses just 3 percent of the total land area; 48 percent live below the poverty line; and 30 percent consume less than 1 900 calories per day (the minimum desired level is 2 300 calories).

Agriculture generates two-thirds of total employment, contributes a quarter of total export earnings and provides food security to the increasing population. Crop production and animal husbandry are interdependent in the country’s mixed-farming system, with livestock performing multiple functions, including the provision of food, nutrition, income, savings, draught power, manure, transport and other social and cultural functions. With livestock, people who are poor and landless can still access common property resources, such as roadsides, open grazing areas and water bodies. Cattle are by far the most important farm animals; smallholders possess the majority of them, and they are directly linked to family income, nutrition and welfare. While animal husbandry is a part of mixed farming, the system of production is not well integrated, and maximum value is not always gained from the inputs and outputs. There is scope for basic improvements that can...