After losing Tk 2 lakh to a broker, he began sheep rearing with Tk 70,000; 60 sold for Tk 4.25 lakh and 112 now in the farm

A farmer on the Jamuna char in Sariakandi, Bogura, used to farm on a char in Jamalpur. Eight years ago, hoping to get rich by a shortcut, he sold his homestead and cattle and handed Tk 2 lakh to a broker to go abroad; the broker vanished with the money and he lost everything. He came to the char with his family and did day labour and mason's helper work in Dhaka. After watching a YouTube video on rearing crossbred sheep, he decided to rear sheep. He had Tk 20,000 and took another Tk 50,000 loan from an NGO in his wife's name. With that he bought eight local sheep, eight lambs and one Australian Dorper, and started the farm five years ago. So far he has sold 60 sheep for Tk 4.25 lakh, cleared his debts, married off a daughter, paid household and children's school costs, and saved Tk 1.5 lakh in cash. The farm now holds 112 sheep, big and small. A female sheep gives on average two lambs a year. A crossbred female sells for Tk 8 to 10 thousand, a pregnant one for Tk 15 thousand and a male for Tk 17 to 18 thousand; meat sells at Tk 800 to 900 a kilo. The sheep graze on the char grass and need no herder; extra feed is bran, oilcake and rice. There is no vet on the char, so when they fall ill he looks it up on YouTube and gives medicine bought at the local market. Seeing him, many young men on the char have started sheep farms.