“Every year, my family and close relatives require a lot of sacrificial animals for Eid-ul-Azha. But the kind of quality animals that they’re looking for isn’t usually available at the cattle markets of Bogra. That's why I decided to build my own farm with a variety of cattle breeds. Although my farm started its journey in 2009 with only six cows, now there are more than a hundred cattle of different breeds.
“Besides, I am currently constructing sheds to accommodate over 400 more cattle on the available land next to my farm,” said Touhid Parvez Biplob, owner of Bogra Bhandar Agro Farm on the Bogra-Naogaon road in Dargahat under Kahaloo upazila of Bogra.
Biplob’s father Tofazzal Hossain, a resident of Sutrapur area of Bogra city who has long been involved in multiple trades, including jute mill, cold storage and import-export, wanted his only son to become a successful businessman like himself.
To fulfil his father's wish, Biplob had earlier moved to New Zealand for higher education after his schooling here. There he studied International Business at the Auckland Institute of Studies. After completing his studies, he returned to Bangladesh in 2009 and started overseeing his father's business.
Md Raihan, the agro farm manager, said: “Out of individual demand, Biplob set up the Bogra Bhandar Agro Farm on a 10-bigha plot of land next to his jute mill and flour mill. The farm started its journey with six cows worth about Tk4 lakh. Now, there are over a hundred cattle of different breeds, including Brahma bulls, Sahiwal bulls, Holstein Friesian, Jersey and Rani Shankar.”
He added that about 100 cows worth Tk50 lakh were sold last year ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. “Besides, buyers from different parts of the country, including Dhaka, Mymensingh and Gaibandha, come to the farm to buy cows.”
Touhid Parvez Biplob, the young owner of Bogra Bhandar Agro Farm, said he had taken an initiative to raise over 400 cows of different breeds on his land next to the farm. “Besides, an open field has been selected for keeping deer. At first, I will start with six deer.”
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, District Livestock Officer Rafiqul Islam Talukder said: “After studying abroad, Touhid Parvez Biplob, a young entrepreneur, successfully built a cattle farm here in Bogra. He is an inspiration to educated unemployed youths of the country. Like him, if educated unemployed youth get into farming, they can contribute to the country’s development.”
