Pig rearing has turned out to be a profitable business for a section of people belonging to the Baishaya caste in the country’s northern region.
According to sources, a section of the people of the caste rear pigs for commercial purposes.
Besides, the indigenous people of the region also rear pigs for domestic use. In the region indegenous people of Santal and Urao communities rear pigs for domestic purposes.
Cornel Tirky, Joakim Akka ,Ruby Tigga, Anna Ekka at Khochabari area Suru Soren in Thakurgaon College Para Adibasi Polly rear pigs for domestic use and commercial purposes.
Fani Roy of Mahishkhocah village under Aditmari upazila of Lalmanirhat district for grazing a herd of pigs came to Dakshin Batina village under Thakurgaon sadar upazila a few days ago.
In the herd there were 151 pigs and 67 adult swine. The total value of the herd is about Tk10 lakhs. The female swine gives birth twice a year, 10 to 12 pigs each time. In this way the number of pigs increases in the herd.
This correspondent met Fani Roy in Gourypur village a few days ago. Fani Roy told this correspondent that he along with other 5 people set out for different destinations from Mahishkhocha village before 8 months for grazing the herd of pigs.
Day after day, week after week and month after month they had been grazing the pigs in different villages of Rongpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts in last 7 months.
Fani and his colleagues are not the owners of the pigs. They are the employees of the owner Atul Chandra Roy, a man of Baishya cast of Mahishkhocha village of Lalmonirhat district.
In total, Atul Chandra has 550 pigs and adult swine. Fani said that for the purpose of grazing they had to pass nights under open sky in the villages.
The owner provides them with tents, clothing, utensils and other essentials. Fani and other herdsmen each get salary of Tk6,000 a month. Besides, the cost of daily meals is borne by the owner. The owner sends the cost of meals through B-kash. When they will go home they do not know. Sometimes the owner transfers the herdsmen from one herd to another.
The pigs eat roots and taro stolon of arum, water lilies (shapla, shaluk), mach alu (a kind of wild potato) and other wild vegetation.
In the process of grazing, the pigs grow old. Sale of pigs is being held directly from the herd. The buyers come from Dhaka to the owner who sends them directly to the herds. The buyers at a time purchase truck-load of pigs.
One female pig is sold at Tk2,500 to 3,000 whereas a big male pig is sold at Tk15,000 to 16,000.
A male pig gives pork of about 2 to 2.25 maunds (40 kg a maund). In Dhaka there is a market in the Christian community where the Christians and the Indigenous people purchase pork at Tk350 to 400 per kg. Pork also is also sold in the villages among the indigenous people community. In the villages it is sold at Tk200 to 250 per kg.