A two-day livestock exhibition has begun at the old trade fair ground in Agargaon in the capital. It opened on Saturday (25 February), organised by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Department of Livestock Services to mark Livestock Service Week.

The exhibition features cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep, dumbas, horses, pigeons, rabbits, dogs, cats, ducks and chickens, birds and many other domestic animals of various breeds. Animal feed, medicines, other technologies and various animal-based foods are also on show.

There is also a ramp show for visitors of the country's most beautiful and largest cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep. A range of tasty meat and dairy products and food is available in the grounds.

The exhibition was bustling with curious visitors, farmers and vets. Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim opened it on Saturday morning.

Thousands of animals have been brought from across the country. On the first day, farmers, technology developers and company representatives were busy at the stalls all day, and staff were kept busy answering visitors' questions. Visitors went round the stalls, and the pet animals and birds pavilion became the main attraction.

At the Angry Bird BD Pet Shop stall, two "golden conure" birds from the Amazon forest have caught everyone's eye.

The shop's owner, Hasan Raj, told Jago News he bought the pair from an importer for Tk 14 lakh and aims to breed and sell their chicks. Asked what the chicks of such expensive birds cost and who buys them, he said: "A pair of chicks costs more than Tk 3 lakh. Because the bird is so beautiful, many people want to buy it. There are many people who collect them."

The birds at Hasan Raj's stall were not for sale, but turquoisine birds were being sold at the next stall, at an asking price of Tk 15,000 to 20,000 a pair.

Visitors can also pick up fancy chickens. Sajjadur Islam, head of a business called Shokher Murgiwala, has come from Bogura with about 12 attractive chicken breeds. His farm has several hundred chickens of 14 breeds, and he sells their chicks. "A pair of Brahma chicks costs Tk 5,000," he said. "There are other breeds that cost more or less than that."

At the cattle stalls, Bhutti cattle drew visitors' attention; hardly anyone left without stroking the small, plump animals. Their owner, Abul Hossain, said: "The meat of this cattle is very tasty. A medium-sized Bhutti sells for Tk 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh and will give more than 100 kg of meat."

Large bulls and cows from Sadiq Agro and other farms are also on show, along with racehorses and other domestic animals.

There are several stalls of animal-based food, including City Kitchen. Its owner, Wasif, said he home-delivers nehari and chicken pulao that he cooks himself, and has taken a stall to become better known. He started his business on Green Road in the capital last October.

The exhibition is managed by the Department of Livestock Services with the support of the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) and the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council (BPICC).

BDFA president Md Imran Hossain said 250 large farmers of cattle, goats, buffalo, ducks and chickens and pets from across the country were taking part, showing their most attractive and largest bulls and cows at 300 stalls.

The country's largest livestock exhibition is open to all from 9am to 9pm daily and ends on Sunday (26 February). Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim will be chief guest at the closing and prize-giving ceremony that day.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.