Educated youths becoming successful livestock entrepreneurs

While young entrepreneurs with advanced education were seldom seen engaging in cattle farming such as this, they are now increasingly turning to the business as it promises good profits. This indicates that the social stigma surrounding the profession could now be waning. PHOTO: Rajib Raihan

It was once seen that only low-income and uneducated groups of people were involved with agro-farming in Bangladesh but now, the situation has changed radically.

A number of highly educated and even foreign degree holding entrepreneurs are taking up careers in the sector, and profiting as a result.

Although agro-farming has become challenging in modern times due to higher input costs, the sector still shows promise for young businesspeople.

Wasif Ahmed Salam, who completed his BBA degree from the City University of London, has been running his own farm, called Asian Agro, since November 2016.

Most people that have an English medium background usually seek high-paying jobs while many foreign degree holders end up settling abroad.

However, the 23-year-old Salam opted to follow his passion and start a farm in Chattogram with just two cows he bought with saved pocket money.

Having initially managed the property with the help of just one employee, Salam improved his rearing techniques by watching YouTube videos on the topic.