With the theme “Local Breeds, Modern Technology: Advancing the Livestock Sector,” Bangladesh is set to observe its first-ever National Livestock Week-2025 from Wednesday. The weeklong program, running from November 26 to December 2, will be celebrated simultaneously at central, district and upazila levels across the country, according to Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter.
She shared details of the initiative during a press briefing held on Monday at the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock in the Secretariat. The ministry announced that 15 individuals and institutions will receive awards for their contributions to the livestock sector.
The central programs for the week, including a livestock exhibition, will be inaugurated at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. The exhibition will run for three days. Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud will attend the inaugural ceremony as chief guest, while Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus will deliver a congratulatory message via video for Livestock Week. The chief guest will also inaugurate the livestock fair.
Speaking at the briefing, Adviser Farida Akhter said the celebration of National Livestock Week will help expand modern technologies, ensure safe food production, promote women and youth entrepreneurship, strengthen international standards and enhance cooperation between public and private sectors.
The week’s events will include award presentations, awareness campaigns, rallies, discussions, seminars, workshops and exhibitions.
According to the briefing, awards will be given in five categories, with gold, silver and bronze medals for first, second and third places respectively.
Highlighting the sector’s economic importance, the adviser said livestock plays a significant role in Bangladesh’s socio-economic development. The sector contributes 1.81 percent to the national GDP, records a 3.19 percent growth rate, and accounts for 16.58 percent of the agricultural GDP. In monetary terms, the livestock GDP stands at Tk 91,036 crore.
She further noted that the poultry industry is currently the second-largest employment-generating sector in the country, supported by over Tk 40,000 crore in private investment. Bangladesh has 85,227 registered commercial poultry farms and nearly 191,000 small-scale farms. An average of 668 million eggs are produced daily, which she described as a remarkable achievement.
Discussing government initiatives, she said significant steps have been taken for disease control. These include deploying 1.7 million doses of vaccine against Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), implementing zoning activities in designated areas to eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), and administering nearly six crore doses of vaccine to control PPR disease in goats.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Md. Imam Uddin Kabir and Director General of the Department of Livestock Services Md. Abu Sufian were also present at the press conference.
