The pigeon is a symbol of peace and was once used to carry messages. Today it is a source of livelihood for many people, but fancy pigeon traders in Magura have suffered financial losses because of the ongoing coronavirus situation.

A group of young people in Magura had been beating unemployment by raising many breeds of fancy pigeon, including Jacobin, Magpie Pouter, Beauty, Lotan, Rent, Helmet, Pekhom Mela, Giribaz, Mayurpankhi and Siraji. Just as they were moving ahead, the pandemic set them back, and they now fear being forced out of the business.

The district has more than 100 farmers who have long been in this trade. They are now struggling even to provide feed for their pigeons. People involved say it will be hard to recover without a government incentive.

Khandaker Tito, general secretary of the Magura Fancy Pigeon Association, said most of the district's more than 100 farmers are young. Because of the severity of the pandemic and the halt to transport during lockdowns, buyers and sellers from different parts of the country could not come, and the traders have suffered losses.

The farmers are demanding that the livestock department support Magura's fancy pigeon traders with a government incentive.

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