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Just a decade ago, Loji Begum was in frustration due to financial crisis. She could not run her family for economic hardship. With her unemployed husband having no income, she had to rely on her father-in-law to somehow manage the family. 

But, in just ten years, Loji Begum’s life and family have completely changed. Now she is an enlightened and prosperous woman. She is now an inspiration to the local people. 

Loji Begum is now owner of a dairy farm. She started the farm with only one cow that brought out her family of poverty. She is now not only a successful woman, but also an inspiration as well. She is also a unique example of women’s empowerment and self-reliance. 

Loji Begum is the daughter of late Abdur Razzak of Nurpur area of Dadshi union in Rajbari Sadar and wife of Shahidul Islam in the same area. 

She shared her life’s struggle and success story. Loji did not have much opportunity to study in a big family of 14 siblings. She got married at the age of 16 when her husband was still a student. As a result, even after marriage, they had to be completely dependent on her father-in-law. 

As the days passed, the problems in the family increased. Then the thought of raising cows came to Loji’s mind to overcome the problems. It started from there. After that, she did not have to look back.

Loji Begum said that after the birth of her first child, she did not want to go to many places for milk, thinking that she would not be able to repay the price. She was forced to feed her child only boiled rice many times instead of milk. She suffered a lot at that time. 

In 2006, she bought a cow by taking a loan of Tk 10,000 from an NGO. After raising the cow, she sold it. After a few days, she also sold the calf of that cow at Tk 14,000. 

Later, she started trying to buy a foreign breed of cow that produced more milk. After a lot of hard work, she saved Tk 85,000 taka and bought a better breed of cow. After that, she never looked back.

Gradually, she bought three cows. After that, she bought and sold cows occasionally. After just a decade, she now has 23 cows in her farm. Of which, nine cows are giving milk. 

Loji said that she was getting 60 to 65 litres of milk every day. Her family is running quite well with this. If she gets some help from the government, she wants to expand the farm further. 

She said that she and her husband cleaned the cow shed every morning. There is no bad smell in her farm, there is adequate light and air. Moreover, the cows are fed three times a day as per the rules. She always takes advice from the officials of the District Livestock Department for regular treatment.

She gets officials of the Livestock Department by her side in any problem. She has received timely vaccinations. She has also taken all the necessary training to become a farmer, said Loji. 

District livestock officer Ganesh Chandra Mandal said that Loji Begum was a successful entrepreneur in Rajbari. 

In addition to the farm, there is a biogas plant and Burmese compost fertiliser was also made from cow dung. She cooks her family’s food and the necessary food for her cows with biogas. She uses Burmese compost fertiliser for farming on her own land and also sells it. 

Loji said that there was no more poverty in the family. On the contrary, seeing her fortunes through raising cows, local people are getting interested in raising cows, she said. 

Some are also trying to build small-scale farms. This success has increased her importance to others. 

Loji said that her success had also made her a responsible woman. Now her opinion and role in various fields, including family and society, has become important, she added.

Shahidul Islam, husband of Loji Begum, who takes care of the farm, said that the main entrepreneur of this farm was actually his wife Loji Begum. This farm is the result of her initiative and immense hard work, he added. 

He and his wife collect milk from the farm’s cows, clean the cow sheds and take care of the cows. 

Their neighbour Rafiqul Islam said that Loji Begum first started this dairy farm on a small scale with one cow. Now, gradually, there are 22-23 cows in her farm. Seeing her success, several farms have been established in the vicinity. He himself has also started a farm.