An entrepreneur’s path to success with dairy farming

Khairul Bashar, 49, is a successful entrepreneur. Eleven years ago, he chose the border village of Gilatola in Cumilla's Burichong Upazila to set up his dairy farm.

He thought the secluded place would make for suitable pasture and also provide ample land to grow grass as fodder.

The farm he started in 2010 on about 132 acres of land with Tk8 lakh in capital proved to be one of the best decisions of his life.

Bashar started Aiyaan Mihan Dairy Farm with five cows, but now there are 105 cows on that farm with a market value of a little more than Tk2 crore.

Every day, the farm produces nearly 500 litres of milk. The milk is later purified and delivered to Cumilla town by Pure Protein Suppliers, a subsidiary of Aiyaan Mihan.

The farm sells a litre of milk for Tk60. Every day, milk worth Tk30,000 is sold.

"The farm supplies both milk and meat to the town. Once the milk is collected, we immediately purify it in the machine, packet it, and it is then supplied to the town. Sometimes, for various reasons, some milk cannot be processed immediately. We store that milk in the freezer at the cold storage facility of Pure Protein Suppliers," said Bashar.

There is also a biogas plant at the farm which provides gas to five families.

From the farm, the milk supply project, and the biogas plant, Bashar earns around Tk12 lakh per month.

But Bashar had to work hard for the success he now enjoys.

After graduating from Cumilla Victoria Government College in Management in 1997, he emigrated to South Korea in search of a better life. Soon, he managed to find a job at a Korean factory, but his heart was not at peace. So, he travelled around the world for the next few years and in 2008, he returned home with a plan.

The plan turned into his dairy farm. Through hard work and persistence, Bashar expanded his business at a steady pace. In addition to the farm's 132 acres, he leased another 400 acres and built his home and an orphanage.

Bashar is now looking for other ways to expand his business. He is getting started with quail farming and is also planning to increase his biogas generation to 25 cubic feet which can provide gas connections to some 10 families.

About Bashar's success as an entrepreneur, Cumilla District Livestock Officer Nazrul Islam said, "I know about Khairul Bashar's farm and Pure Protein Suppliers. I think anyone, given the opportunity, should consider being an entrepreneur."