Mobarak Ullah’s Dreams Shattered by Devastating Flood

Desk Report: More than 2,500 poultry and dairy entrepreneurs in Feni have faced devastating losses due to one of the worst floods in memory. The poultry sector in the district alone has suffered damage around 40 crore Taka. Many farmers have lost their livelihood as their farms were submerged by floodwaters. One such youth, Mobarak Ullah, who had become self-sufficient through poultry farming, has suffered a loss of over 10 million BDT as all his chickens died in the flood. Now, with his business wiped out, he sees nothing but despair.
Mobarak Ullah, a resident of Ragub pur village 1, Char Majlishpur Union, in Sonagazi Upazila, had returned to Bangladesh in 2009 after 12 years of working in Saudi Arabia. He invested 4 million BDT, a combination of loans, bank financing, and his personal savings, into starting his poultry business. Over time, his business grew as he successfully used modern technology, expanding his farms gradually.
As his poultry business flourished, Mobarak became busy managing the farms, creating employment opportunities for many unemployed youths in his community. On a five-acre plot of land near his home, he established eight poultry farms with 30,000-layer chickens. To manage the operations, he employed 18 workers, with a monthly payroll of approximately 300,000 BDT.
Everything was going well for Mobarak until August 23, when the devastating flood swept away 6,000 of his chickens. Another 6,000 died from the impact of the flood, leaving him in severe financial distress. The losses in the poultry business have left him in a state of desperation and uncertainty. Now, all he can see is despair.
Mobarak, the proprietor of Rani Agro, said, “The recent catastrophic flood has washed away many of my dreams. All my chickens died because of the flood. Due to food shortages and disease outbreaks, egg production from the layer chickens has dropped significantly. Out of my eight poultry farms, two have become unusable. Some of the chicken feed and supplies were also destroyed by the water.”
He further added, “I’ve suffered a loss of approximately 12 million BDT in my poultry business. I don’t know how I’ll recover from this. If the government can offer small loans at low interest rates, I might be able to rebuild and overcome this setback.”
Dr. Nebu Lal Dutta, the Livestock Officer of the Upazila, stated, “The poultry farmers in Sonagazi have suffered significant losses due to the flood, and it will take time for them to recover. We have prepared a list of the affected farmers and submitted it to higher authorities for assistance.”
Kamrul Hasan, the Upazila Executive Officer (UNO), told the press, “No one in this Upazila has seen such a devastating flood before. The flood has caused significant damage to many, especially poultry farmers like Mobarak Ullah. We will report the details of the affected individuals to the government. I hope the government will come forward to support these farmers so they can rebuild their livelihoods.”