The market is full of people. One side is looking at cows, bargaining. The other side is busy tending the cows. Some of the traders are busy cooking lunch again. Eyes went to a woman in such a busy market. He is also a cow seller. Sometimes he was feeding the cows raised with utmost compassion, sometimes he was patting them.
I was talking about Salma Khatun. I went to Bibirhat market in Chittagong city on Friday afternoon and met him. Salma Khatun’s house in Fatepur village of Nachol Union in Chapainawabganj, about 570 km from Chittagong. His small farm is next to the house. This 34-year-old woman came to Bandarnagar, far away from home, with 14 cows on Wednesday. She is the only woman vendor who brought cows on this year’s Qurbani Eid. So there is already interest around him.
Salma Khatun narrated her life story to this reporter. In his words, the incidents of establishing women entrepreneurs after overcoming various obstacles came up. He said that he graduated in philosophy from Chapainawabganj College. After that he was admitted to Rajshahi College. He completed his post graduation in 2016 from there. After completing his studies, he took a job in a private company. However, the job could not be saved in the Corona period. You have to leave the job.
Leave the job and farm
Salma said, ‘I was not the person to sit at home in despair after losing my job. I used to think about how to do what, how to be established. In this, the thought of cattle farming comes to mind. Buy a cow with the saved money. In the beginning I used to sell milk. Then two more cows are prepared from the cow. In this way, the idea of expanding the farm comes.’
Salma explained in detail the issue of raising the farm. He said, Sonali Bank took a loan of Tk 10 lakh from the local branch and raised 10 cows in the farm. After two years, there were 20 cows and calves in total. Later, on Eid 2022, he came to Bibirhat in Chittagong for the first time with 10 cows. All the loins are sold out the day before Eid.
Due to personal problems, Salma Khatun could not devote much time to the farm in 2023. Because of this, the care of the cows was not done properly. He sold cows locally. He faced loss for the first time. But did not give up. Salma said, took a loan of Tk 5 lakh from the private United Commercial Bank Chapainawabganj branch and started rearing cows again. He has prepared 14 cows for Eid this year.
Never lose courage
Salma Khatun had a question about coming to Chittagong after traveling such a long distance to sell cows. In reply, he said, the demand for small-medium cows is high in Chittagong. Many traders from their area come to Chittagong every year with such cows. Apart from this, he was able to sell all the cows at a good price in 2022. So this time he chose Chittagong’s Bibirhat animal market.
When asked if there was any fear in the corner of his mind to bring cows so far, Salma Khatun said, ‘I always keep courage in my heart. I am not afraid of anything. Never lose courage. So even such a long way does not seem far.’
Salma Khatun said in her personal life that when her only daughter was born in 2013, she separated from her husband soon after. But he farmed in the family land from his father’s house. He took a low interest loan by mortgaging the land. Now he is slowly repaying the loan with the money from the sale of the cow. The girl is also growing up. She is a seventh grader. As a result, he is doing well.
Salma Khatun said that she developed a great love for cows while rearing them. While talking to Prothom Alo, he said, ‘Every time I have been disappointed in my life, I have turned around. I forget the frustration of rearing cows in this farm. Nothing feels good now.’
Other traders in the market are also helping Salma. Salma stays at the market until two in the morning. Then staying in a house next to the market. He came to the market again in the morning and prepared beef. Cattle dealer Mohammad Ilyach of Chittagong told Prothom Alo that it was not heard that there are women sellers in any market in Chittagong city. She is the only woman trader in this bazaar.