Md Shah Ali has caused a stir by setting up a peacock farm on his own initiative in Homna, Cumilla. He lives in Babarkandi village in Homna. Shah Ali, who passed class eight and had always dreamed of keeping peacocks, is now worth half a crore taka.

In December 2019 he bought a male and a female peacock for Tk 1 lakh 65 thousand as a hobby. The peahen later laid 18 eggs, from which 12 chicks hatched. He now has 90 peacocks on his farm, with a market value of about Tk 25 lakh. He has already earned Tk 22 lakh from selling peacocks.

Shah Ali told Jagonews: "As a child I kept birds in a rented flat in Mirpur, Dhaka. After my father died I came back to the village, built two tin-shed houses and in 2019 bought first one pair for Tk 1 lakh 65 thousand, and later five peacocks for Tk 2 lakh 50 thousand, to set up the farm. There were five females and two males among them. By hatching eggs from those seven peacocks, I now have 90 on my farm."

He said he had spent Tk 10 lakh in total so far. "I have already sold peacocks worth Tk 22 lakh, and I have about Tk 25 lakh worth more on the farm. It is a luxury item; many people buy them as a hobby. The most I have got for a pair of large peacocks is Tk 1 lakh 10 thousand. I dream of building an even bigger peacock farm in future."

Speaking to anyone interested in peacock farming, Shah Ali said: "Raising peacocks is very easy. It is a luxury item. Nobody should make the mistake of planning a farm first. Start by keeping one or two pairs, and if it goes well, then take steps to set up a farm. Peacocks cannot be sold whenever you like; people buy them if they like them. Those who are unemployed or looking for work can keep peacocks as a hobby if they wish. Since I have profited, you will too. I am ready to give any advice on this."

Visitors from far and wide gather every day to see the farm. One visitor, Abul Kalam, told Jagonews: "I had seen peacocks on TV. Today I came with my family to see Shah Ali's peacock farm in real life. We are delighted."

Homna Upazila Livestock Officer AKM Baharul Islam told Jagonews that the upazila livestock office continues to give regular advice, farm visits and all-round support to Shah Ali's peacock farm. Besides peacocks, he also rears cattle, sheep, guinea fowl and quail.

Asked about it, Cumilla District Livestock Officer Dr Syed Md Nazrul Islam said this is the district's first peacock farm. Anyone wanting to set up a peacock farm like Shah Ali's will get every kind of support from the district livestock office.

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