In Gurudaspur, Natore, farmer Hannan Sarker sees a future in the dumba, the fat-tailed sheep of desert regions. His 32-bigha farm at Khamarpathuria village in Chapila union now has 60 dumba ready for sale, priced from Tk 100,000 to more than Tk 300,000 each depending on size and build, Bangla Tribune reports.
Hannan began around 2010 with local goats and later added cattle. With many cattle and goat farms in the area, he looked for something different: first garol sheep from desert regions, and when those showed promise, dumba. He started with 30 dumba brought from India and expanded as the profits came. He sold at least 40 at the last Eid ul-Adha.
"When I started rearing dumba, people said all sorts of unkind things. But I didn't lose patience. Now I sell dumba all year round," Hannan said. Demand multiplies at Qurbani, he said, and buyers come every day from across the country. Some have bought dumba from him to start small farms of their own.
Twenty-three people look after the animals. To secure feed, Hannan grows grass on about 7 bigha himself; the fresh grass is fed with straw and bran twice a day. Shafiqul Islam, who has worked on the farm for a decade, said they take extra care to keep the animals free of disease.
According to the local livestock officer, this is the only dumba farm in the Natore area. Natore district livestock officer Dr Md Salim Uddin said the dumba is an animal of hot, dry regions but is growing well in Bangladesh's moderate climate too, and that the local livestock office advises the Gurudaspur farm regularly.
Reported by Md Rashidul Islam, Natore, Bangla Tribune.
Photo: fat-tailed sheep of the dumba type (file), Erector / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: Bangla Tribune
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