Duck feathers that villagers once threw away have become the raw material of an export business in Akkelpur, Joypurhat. Sharabangla Down Products, based at Tilakpur Bazar in the upazila, processes the feathers into down used in winter jackets, quilts and pillows, while the larger feathers go into badminton shuttlecocks.

The company now collects an average of 22 tonnes of duck feathers a month from around the country and sends the processed product to China, Vietnam and Taiwan. It works with some 35 to 40 vendors nationwide.

The business began on a small scale in 2014-15 but did not make the hoped-for profit for lack of experience. In 2015 the firm's director went to China to study feather collection, sorting and processing and spent a year as an intern there, then relaunched the business in 2022.

The feathers are first dried, then sorted and cleaned in specialised machines brought from China that separate down from feather, and dried again. Managing director Md Altaf Hossain said the machines have raised processing quality and capacity. The firm has about Tk 5 crore invested and needs another Tk 10-15 crore for a complete processing line, which would let it make jackets, pillows and quilts at home for export.

Sixteen men and women work at the plant, including local residents. Worker Mimi Akter said her wages keep her household going and pay for her children's education.

Akkelpur upazila livestock officer Dr Amirul Islam said the commercial use of feathers gives people who raise ducks extra income and could increase interest in duck rearing. Now that feathers have a price, many rural households keep and sell them.

Reported by Krishi Shomoy's Joypurhat correspondent.

Source: Krishi Shomoy