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By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, March 31, 2026 (BSS) – Over the past two decades, about 200 families in Kashimpur village, located about four kilometers northeast of the district's Pirganj upazila town, have changed their fortunes by producing milk at home.
 
Backyard dairy farming in the village has actually become a profitable family enterprise, with every typical household having at least three to five dairy cows, while well-off farmers have 15 or more dairy cows.
 
The villagers are producing about 16,000 liters of milk daily and selling it mainly to the local BRAC Chilling Center and three other private sector milk purchasing centers and a Milk Vita purchasing center located in nearby Pirganj Upazila Township.
  
Local residents, most of whom are small and marginal farmers, have also cultivated nutritious hybrid varieties of grasses such as Napier, 'Pakchung', Sweet Jumbo and maize on about 45 acres of land in the village for livestock feed.
 
Local villagers while talking to BSS recently said that about 23 years ago, some people initially started rearing cattle on their own initiative in a scattered and unorganized manner.
 
Witnessing their success, their neighbors were initially attracted to follow in the same footsteps and earn good profits by rearing cows, producing milk and selling the same. 
 
Within a few years, every family in the village started rearing cows and their success quickly grabbed the attention of the Pirganj Upazila Department of Livestock (DLS) and local administration officials.
 
Local farmer Yunus Ali said that he started his journey with only one milk-giving cow 11 years ago after being inspired by the success of other villagers in changing their fortunes through homestead dairy activities. 
 
He currently milks 70 liters of milk from his six cows daily and delivers his produced milk to the nearby BRAC Chilling Center.
 
“My wife Dulali Begum always helps me take care of our cows and calves on our small dairy farm,” said Yunus, who has already achieved self-reliance and is leading a solvent life with family members.  
 
Yunus' father Abdul Monnaf and mother Parul Begum also raise two local breeds of dairy cows. His elder brother Hazrat Ali has five dairy cows and sells 60 liters of milk daily. 
 
Chan Mia, one of the pioneers of dairy farming in Kashimpur village, recounted his success story of changing his fortunes through cow husbandry and setting up a dairy farm.

He bought a Friesian cow with his own money about 23 years ago to start his venture.
 
“With my ceaseless efforts and continuous support of the DLS, I successfully expanded my dairy farm over the years, involving my two sons Shahin Mia and Swadhin Mia in the same venture,” he said.
 
Chan Mia now sells 125 liters of milk produced from 13 lactating cows on his own dairy farm every day to the local BRAC Chilling Center and other local milk purchasing centers. 
 
His wife Shahana Begum looks after their dairy farm with him and they have become financially self-reliant, having purchased cultivable land and built a house.
 
Pirganj Upazila Livestock Officer Dr Md Fazlul Kabir told BSS that after entering Kashimpur village, anyone can see dairy farms full of Friesian, ‘Shahiwal’, Holston, Jersey and other species of cows that give huge quantities of milk.
  
During the day, the men and women of the village are seen cutting grass and washing their cows. They have no time to talk, as everyone is busy taking their milk to the factory on time every day. 
 
Kabir said, “The villagers of Kashimpur have set a unique example of achieving self-reliance by increasing milk production for their own and the people's nutrition, as well as changing their own destiny.”