The inaugural National Livestock Week for 2025 is scheduled to commence tomorrow and will continue with nationwide events until 2 December.
Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter revealed the agenda today during a press briefing held at her ministry’s office in the Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka.
The central concept for the week is “Indigenous breeds, modern technology: Development will advance through the livestock”.
A series of events, including public awareness campaigns, processions, discussion forums, training sessions, expos, and a ceremony for Livestock Awards, are planned for the occasion.
In line with the National Livestock Award Policy, 15 recipients, comprising individuals and institutions, will be honored across five classifications for their exemplary service to the industry. The top three achievers in each classification will be presented with gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively.
Planning Ministry Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud is slated to distribute the awards at the opening event. A video message from Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will be played to convey his congratulations.
Adviser Farida Akhter stated that the livestock industry is a vital component of socio-economic progress, representing 1.81 per cent of the GDP with a 3.19 per cent growth rate and constituting 16.58 per cent of the agricultural GDP.
She indicated that the livestock sector’s monetary contribution to the GDP is Tk 91,036 crore.
She mentioned that the poultry industry has become the nation’s second-largest source of employment, backed by private investments exceeding Tk 40,000 crore. The nation counts 85,227 officially registered commercial poultry operations and approximately 191,000 smaller farms, yielding about 6.68 crore eggs daily.
The adviser underscored governmental actions to control animal illnesses, which involved distributing 17 lakh doses of vaccine for lumpy skin disease, implementing zonal strategies to eliminate foot and mouth disease, and administering close to 6 crore doses of PPR vaccine for goats.
Farida Akhter expressed that the observance of National Livestock Week is anticipated to encourage the adoption of contemporary technologies, bolster the production of safe food, support entrepreneurship among women and the youth, assist in meeting global benchmarks, and improve collaboration between the public and private sectors.
