Kalo Manik, the much-talked-about 50-maund bull of Trishal in Mymensingh, has gone unsold again this year, leaving its owner Sumon Mia in difficulty.

Farmer Zakir Hossain Sumon of Dakshin Bhatipara village in Dhanikhola, Trishal upazila, bought the Friesian bull for Tk 75,000 at a local market six years ago and has raised it with care as a hobby. But after it failed to sell at the last two Eid-ul-Azha festivals, he is struggling with the cost of feed.

Sumon Mia said: "This year I took the bull to the Gabtoli market. One buyer offered Tk 17 lakh there, but no one else made an offer. At the previous Eid, the offer was Tk 15 lakh."

He added: "I have raised the bull for six years with great care and love, feeding it local feed. Nothing artificial is given. I fed it naturally with oil cake, bran, maize, bananas, rice, straw and grass. I care for the cow more than for myself. Last year I could not sell Kalo Manik because I did not get a good price. This year I hoped to sell it. At home the price reached Tk 20 lakh. Then before Eid I took it to the Gabtoli market in Dhaka, where it reached Tk 17 lakh. I did not sell and brought it back home."

Sumon said the bull now costs Tk 1,500 to 1,800 a day. Bearing such costs is almost impossible, and he will sell if he gets a suitable price, he said.

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