Pigeon Farming : Hobby turns to livelihood

Jhenidah Correspondent:
Selim Reza, 48, son of the late Nurul Islam of Kushumpur village under Moheshpur upazila of the district turned his childhood hobby of rearing rare pigeons into a livelihood. Bringing people from across the nation to his farm.

Selim passed his SSC in 1986, HSC 1988 and BA in 1990, but did not want to get a traditional job due to being physically unfit. Instead he rears 70 different species of local and foreign pigeons on a farm in his house.

Selim has always had a long cherished desire to rear pigeons. He was inspired from a doctor who rented his house. At first Selim tried his hand at rearing hens but incurred losses. Later, the doctor advised him to collect local and foreign pigeons.

Rare species of pigeons at Selim Reza’s farm in Kushumpur village under Moheshpur upazila in Jhenidah. Rare species of pigeons at Selim Reza’s farm in Kushumpur village under Moheshpur upazila in Jhenidah.

Accordingly, he insisted that his father buy him pigeons if he wanted him to go to school. When he was in class two his father bought seven pairs of pigeons for him for Tk 14. In 2009 he purchased ten different species of foreign pigeons at Tk 23,000 from Natore.

Similarly in 2010, he heard that gigantic foreign pigeons were available at Rajshahi. At the time he was not in a position to buy such valuable pigeons.

He sold his only cattle at Tk 32,000 and purchased a pair of “Yellow Portar” a foreign species for Tk 30,000 from Rajshahi. Now he possesses 70 pairs of local and foreign pigeons on his farm. Of them 35 pairs are local while the other 35 pairs are foreign.

The Foreign species are Fresh Mondian (Holland), China Owl, Halud short, Murhead, White king, Yellow king, German Kuper, White Ran, Yellow Hena, Spangel, Mouri and White Bhukhari.

Selim said that it costs Tk 1,30,000 a year for the rearing of his pigeons while he makes Tk 3,30,000 per year. So he gets a profit of Tk 2,00,000 per year.

He added that he has employed a woman named Jelehar Khatun who looks after the pigeons. Her salary is Tk 3,000 per month. He is now very solvent. He spent Tk 90,000 for religious purposes last year. His only daughter Fahmida Reza is a HSC student of Jessore cantonment college.

He also said elite people come to his house time to time to buy rare species of pigeons out of curiosity.

An elderly person named Sayeed Ali, 72 of the village said Selim is well known in the upazila for his expensive and rare species of pigeons. Army officers, doctors and other such elites throng to his house for purchasing the pigeons.

Selim’s wife Fahima Reza said they are very happy with their daughter and that they have no further wants.

Swaruppur union chairman Abdul Alim said Selim is very fond of rearing pigeons and that he has collections of different species while maintaining his family in a solvent way.

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