Kalomanik, a Holstein Friesian bull, weighs 25 maunds and is being offered for Tk 10 lakh. Bargaining buyers have pushed the price up to Tk 6 lakh so far, but the farmer expects Kalomanik to sell for more.

The black bull belongs to Golam Kibria Sohan of Aronkola village in Ishwardi upazila, Pabna. His 'One Stop Cattle Ranch' dairy farm is preparing 150 bulls for Eid-ul-Azha, and Kalomanik is the biggest of them.

Golam Kibria Sohan said he has been raising Kalomanik for one and a half to two years. "His menu is royal. He is regularly fed straw, bran, maize flour, broken rice and gram with molasses, as well as bananas, flattened rice and other expensive food. People have been hired to bathe him twice a day and look after him, and he has regular health check-ups. I hope to sell Kalomanik for Tk 10 lakh."

He added: "We have four more dairy farms of our own, with hundreds of cattle of local and foreign breeds, big and small. Separately, 150 cattle have been prepared only for sale at Eid, and they will sell for Tk 1.5 lakh to Tk 4 lakh."

He said cattle are sold directly at the farm and also online, where 5 to 10 are being sold every day. "Since the coronavirus outbreak is less severe this time, buyers will come to the farm and buy after seeing the animals for themselves. We have made every preparation for that in advance."

Ishwardi upazila livestock officer Dr Nazmul Hossain said the office keeps regular track of livestock and dairy farms. Every area has technicians to oversee the dairy farms, and besides regular training, farmers are supplied with vaccines and medicines free of charge.

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