A breeding bull can benefit the whole village,” says Suklal Rajbanshi

A year ago, Suklal Rajbanshi of Shivgunj, Jhapa took Rs. 15,000 on loan from his group’s CBM fund and prompty bought a breeding bull for Rs. 8000. Remaining amount was spent in veterinary supplements and structures to keep the bulls.

Suklal used to plough farmers’ field with his oxen. As cow owners would request for his ox to inseminate their cows, he realized that there was a need for breeding bulls in the village.

He sold the bull’s insemination service at Rs. 150 per insemination, even offering free retries until successful insemination. He sold the first bull for Rs. 16,000 and bought two new ones, one local and one modern breed to provide choice to the villagers.

He feeds his bulls well and provides them regular health supplements. The bulls in return are earning him an income of at least Rs. 4500 at month. In some good months, the income from the breeding bulls alone can exceed Rs. 10,000. Cow owners from all over his village and beyond come to him to get their cows inseminated.

He is very pleased with the steady income he is getting and is delighted that he does not need to migrate to find work. “I don’t need to borrow money even to celebrate festivals,” he adds.

He is now planning to invest in a breeding buffalo bull, which can fetch upto Rs. 300 per insemination.

As he plans to grow his business, he still maintains perspective on why he is doing this. He says, “A cow is of use only to one household, but a breeding bull is a resource the whole village can benefit from.”

Suklal Rajbanshi is the vice chairperson of the Saraswati Biodiversity Management Farmers’ Group in Shivagunj, Jhapa, one of the 20 sites of the CBM-Nepal programme.