Asaduzzaman of Bhomorda village in Gangni upazila, Meherpur, has drawn attention by crossing Garole sheep with Dumba to produce a new type of Dumba. His farm now has 80 Garole ewes and several Dumba.

"I came back from Malaysia four years ago with a little savings and a strong wish to do something," he said. He first set up a Garole sheep farm, but repeated losses broke his spirit. Refusing to give up, he bought two desert Dumba from Natore, which became the key to his dream.

He crossed the two Dumba with local Garole sheep and was amazed at the result: lambs weighing 30 to 40 kg in just three months, growing fast, with little disease and an attractive size. After the first success, he started breeding on a large scale.

The crossbreds reach market weight in half the time of ordinary goats or sheep, meaning more profit at lower cost, he said. In a year he sold 80 crossbred lambs, earning several times more, and selling lambs has become a profitable business alongside meat.

Raised on pasture grass, creepers, straw, and wheat and maize bran, the lambs look plump, with a small tail and a flattened rump, and some have horns.

The road was not easy. Despite repeated efforts, he could not get a bank loan because of paperwork problems and has carried on without any government help.

Gangni upazila livestock officer Motaleb Ali said the Dumba-Garole cross is a milestone for meat production, and no harmful effects have been found so far, so other farmers are being encouraged. The lambs look like sheep at the front but carry Dumba traits at the rear, are larger than other Garole and give more meat, creating demand among farmers. Asaduzzaman is spreading lambs among farmers, and the livestock office is providing advice, vaccines and technical support.

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