In the Pabna-Sirajganj region, which is famous for its milk stock, pure milk lamb and ghee are being exported to 15 countries of the world including Canada, England, USA, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Dubai and Kuwait. By exporting lamb and ghee abroad, the foreign exchange is earning around Tk 30 crore every year, said the concerned traders.
Ravi Kumar Ghosh, 48, of Demra village in Faridpur upazila of Pabna district, passed IA and engaged in ancestral business. The desire was to get a job or another profession, but in order to keep the caste business, on the advice of father Amit Kumar Ghosh, Ravi Kumar Ghosh had to concentrate on the business of making lamb and ghee. Dada Saroj Kumar Ghosh was a well-known lamb and ghee producer in the greater Pabna region. Ravi Kumar Ghosh is one of the 60-70 lamb and ghee producers in Pabna and Sirajganj districts.
Others include Sarojid Kumar Ghosh, Dulal Chandra Ghosh, Bishwanath Ghosh, Parimal Ghosh, Paritosh Ghosh, Dulal Ghosh, Ravi Ghosh, Manik Lal Ghosh, Navaratna Ghosh, Major Ghosh, Nab Kumar Ghosh, Ranjit Kumar Ghosh, Adhir Kumar Ghosh, Raghu Ghosh , Paritosh Ghosh etc.
According to the Livestock Department, there are about 22,000 dairy farms in Pabna and Sirajganj districts. In addition, milk is produced by raising cows in almost every house in the villages. The region produces 15 to 16 lakh liters of milk per day. Of this, 1.5 lakh liters of Baghabari Milkvita, 225,000 liters of milk Aftab, Akij, Pran, BRAC and various private milk processing companies and Ghosh procured 50,000 to 60,000 liters of milk.
Local traders process the remaining milk and supply it to Bogra, Rangpur, Natore and Naogaon districts. Dulal Ghosh of Demra village in Faridpur, Pabna, said the Ghoshs of Pabna and Sirajganj areas produce about 1,400 quintals of milk puppies daily in 80-90 factories. That amount of milk makes about 250 pounds of lamb. Of these, 30 to 35 maunds are sold in the local market and the rest go to other parts of the country.
He said one ounce of milk yielded eight kilograms of lamb and three kilograms of fat. One and a half kg of pure ghee can be obtained by burning three kg of fat. As a result, an average of 2,200 liters of ghee is produced daily in the two districts. In the Pabna-Sirajganj region, the value of pure milk puppies and ghee is increasing day by day.
According to Ravi Kumar Ghosh, more than 100 quintals of lamb and 25 quintals of ghee are sent daily from Pabna and Sirajganj to Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong, Feni, Comilla, Noakhali, Khulna and Rajshahi. Significant portions of chicks and ghir sent to Sylhet and Chittagong are processed by traders there and exported to various countries in the Middle East including England, America, Saudi Arabia.
In England, Alauddin Sweetmeat, a few local shops including Jal Yoga, and in America, a few local sweet shops including Banful, Madhuban, Pabna and Sirajganj are very much appreciated. Pure lamb and ghee made from pure milk are being supplied to 15 countries of the world including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Indonesia, Canada, England and America.
Ghee, curd, sweets, khirsasaha various confectionery products are made with milk, lamb and butter. Adequate quantity of yoghurt, sweets and lamb is produced in Pabna and Sirajganj districts. These three dairy products are equally popular with food lovers in foreign lands. It is known that the number of lamb making factories is increasing in this region. But the production of cows and milk is not increasing compared to that. As a result, it is not possible to supply the demand for lamb and ghee in the country and abroad.
Apart from this, some unscrupulous traders have been producing low quality lamb and ghee and selling it at low prices in the market as ghee sung by Baghabari. The lamb and ghee producers believe that if the government and the lenders extend a helping hand to the lamb and ghee makers, the industry will create ample employment opportunities with huge foreign exchange earnings every year.
What a tasty food