Shimul Hossain of Parsidhai village in Atgharia upazila, Pabna, has turned his fortunes around by producing the larvae of the black soldier fly. He now owns five farms, earns about Tk 2 lakh a month and employs 17 local people.
Shimul once had a salaried job. He set up a duck farm to work for himself, but lost several lakh taka when the ducks died of disease one after another. Still in debt, he learned about black soldier fly farming from YouTube and began on a small scale. Through trial and experience he raised production and, over six years, built five farms with his own earnings.
The larvae are raised in a controlled environment, harvested, dried and supplied to various companies. Shimul said demand is such that each batch is sold as soon as it is produced.
Recalling the early days, he said people laughed at him and his family disapproved, at one point turning him out of the house, but he kept going. What pleases him most, he said, is that his work has given jobs to others.
Dr Md Zahurul Islam, the Pabna district livestock officer, said black soldier fly larvae are a promising source of protein for animal feed. Raised by technically sound methods, they can create entrepreneurs and jobs, and the livestock department is ready to support and advise promising entrepreneurs.
Photo: Didier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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