BAU Trains 30 Farmers from Mymensingh in Broiler Farming

BAUCorrespondent : Aday-long training programme on broiler farming was held at BangladeshAgricultural University (BAU) to enhance the skills of small and medium-scalefarmers in the Mymensingh region.

Organizedby the Department of Poultry Science at BAU, the training was conducted onTuesday (February 11) at the Faculty Conference Hall of the Faculty of AnimalHusbandry, with funding from the Agricultural Research Foundation and supportfrom Manu Farms.

ProfessorDr. Shubash Chandra Das, the training coordinator and project director, as wellas a professor at the Department of Poultry Science, led the session. ProfessorDr. Bapan Dey, Head of the Department of Poultry Science, presided over theevent, while Professor Dr. Md. Ruhul Amin, Acting Dean of the Faculty of AnimalHusbandry, attended as the chief guest.

Among thespecial guests were Dr. M. Hammadur Rahman, Director of the Research Center ofBangladesh Bank (BARC); Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Vice President and BranchManager of Mutual Trust Bank PLC, Mymensingh Branch; and Muhammad Shaheen,Founder and CEO of Manu Farms. UGC Professor Dr. Sachchidananda Das Chowdhurywas present as the guest of honour. Around 30 farmers from the Mymensinghregion, along with faculty members from the Department of Poultry Science andpostgraduate students, also participated in the event.

Speakingas the chief guest, Professor Dr. Md. Ruhul Amin highlighted the advancementsin poultry farming, noting that previously it took a year for a chicken toreach one kilogram, whereas now, broilers attain over 1.5 kilograms in just 30days. Additionally, certain layer breeds can now lay more than 320 eggsannually. He credited poultry scientists for these improvements.

Hefurther stated that farmers are the backbone of food production and emphasizedthe continued necessity of poultry farming as long as human civilizationexists. He pointed out that Bangladesh remains reliant on imported broilergrandparent and parent stock since foreign companies do not disclose theirbreeding methodologies.

ProfessorDr. Shubash Chandra Das explained that broilers at BAU’s poultry farm have beenraised for over three decades without antibiotics or other artificial additives,yielding excellent quality broilers. He also noted that their rearing methodshave achieved an exceptionally low broiler mortality rate of just 1 percent.

Followingthe training, participants were taken to BAU’s poultry farm for a hands-ondemonstration, allowing them to gain practical experience in broiler farmingtechniques.