Rajbari's only Government Poultry Breeding and Development Farm is running with a severe staff shortage, dilapidated buildings and no permanent manager for a dozen years. Only 4 people work there against 14 posts. Despite this, the farm has met on average about 90 per cent of its production targets over the last three fiscal years. Thanks to good-quality birds and relatively low prices, smallholders, housewives and small entrepreneurs are coming to the farm in growing numbers every day.

But those involved say this success will be hard to sustain unless the staff and infrastructure problems are solved. Filling vacant posts quickly, repairing run-down buildings and sheds and developing the necessary infrastructure would raise output and significantly increase the supply of quality chicks to the district's smallholders and small entrepreneurs, they say.

The farm was set up in 1981-82 on 2.88 acres at Natun Bazar (Murgi Farm) on the Rajbari-Kushtia regional highway, to meet the district's demand for eggs and meat and create jobs. It began as the Government Duck and Poultry Farm, with a hatchery, but the word "duck" was later dropped by government order and it was renamed the Government Poultry Breeding and Development Farm. Its hatchery closed in 1997. Now chicks are brought from a neighbouring district, raised and then sold.

Of the farm's 12 structures, 5 buildings have become unusable and only 7 are in use. The manager's residence, two residential buildings for third- and fourth-class staff, the sales centre and one of the four poultry sheds are dilapidated.

The farm has 14 posts including the manager's. The manager's post has been vacant since 2014, nearly 12 years, and Poultry Development Officer Md Mehedi Hasan is serving as acting manager. Against 5 posts of office assistant, poultry technician and security guard, there are 3 people.

Important posts such as field assistant, driver, electrician, poultry attendant, hatchery attendant, office helper and cleaner are all vacant. Even so, through the acting manager's efficiency, production targets have risen every year. The farm's current target is to raise 20,000 birds a year.

According to the figures, the farm met 70 per cent of its target in 2023-24, 100 per cent in 2024-25 and 92 per cent in 2025-26. Birds that have had four vaccine doses are sold to farmers at Tk 80 at one month old and Tk 100 at 42 days.

Buyers and entrepreneurs Shahin Molla and Mohammad Ali said the birds here are of good quality. "We take 20 to 40 birds at a time now and then, and have done so many times before. We raise them at home; when they grow we eat some and sell some. The price here isn't very high, and it is often lower than in the market."

Housewives Nasrin Begum and Nurjahan Begum said they regularly take birds from the farm to raise at home. The birds hardly get sick and are good, they said; when grown, they eat some and sell some.

Farm worker Maidul Islam said that despite the staff shortage the farm environment is good and the chicks are healthy and strong. "We are putting in extra labour to keep the environment good and trying for full production."

Acting manager Md Mehedi Hasan said: "This is Rajbari's only government poultry farm. There are only 4 of us against 14 posts. Because of this severe shortage we struggle to provide the service we want. Still, we are doing our best to meet the full target."

He said service could be much better with a full staff. Of the four poultry sheds, three are working, but the other shed and the residential buildings are completely unusable. If the government repaired them, the farm could increase output.

He said the target for each of the last two fiscal years was 20,000 birds, with 100 per cent met in 2024-25 and 92 per cent in 2025-26. At prices set by the ministry, 29-day-old birds sell for Tk 80 and birds over 42 days old for Tk 100. The buyers are mainly smallholders, small entrepreneurs and ordinary families.

"Many families in Rajbari take 10 to 50 chicks to meet their household need for eggs and meat. To ensure the quality of service and reach the full production target, I urge that this staff shortage be solved quickly," he said.

Rajbari District Livestock Officer Dr Prokash Ranjan Biswas said the severe staff shortage is reported to the directorate with every monthly report. At the start and middle of each year, budgets are also regularly requested to repair the dilapidated buildings, abandoned sheds and other structures.

He said that last year, in response to the request, a budget came for repairing just one shed, which was repaired and brought back into use. No further allocation has come since. Whenever there is a chance to speak with senior authorities, the farm's situation is raised.

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