বাংলাদেশের একমাত্র বেসরকারী সরীসৃপ প্রজনন কেন্দ্র, রেপটাইল ফার্ম লিমিটেড, বলছে সরকারেরআমলাতান্ত্রিক জটিলতার জন্যে তাদের কুমির রপ্তানী বাধার মুখে পড়েছে৻
ময়মনসিংয়ের ভালুকায় এই খামার দীর্ঘ প্রায় ছয় বছর কাজ করে তাদের প্রথম চালান পাঠানোর সবপ্রস্তুতি শেষ করেছে বলে বলছেন খামারের প্রধান৻
কী ধরণের আমলাতান্ত্রিক জটিলতার মুখে তাদের পড়তে হচ্ছ, বিবিসি বাংলার মানসী বড়ুয়া জানতে চেয়েছিলেন ঐ খামারের ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক মুশতাক আহমেদের কাছে:
Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW | |||
 | |||
|
|
Pakistan Defence
BSS, Dhaka
An unconventional product was added to Bangladesh's export basket as the country's lone crocodile farm has finally been able to send 67 crocs to Germany through air yesterday, half a decade into its inception.
"A Thai Airways flight carrying the 67 frozen saltwater crocs of different age groups yesterday left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Germany ", Mustaq Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO of Reptile Farm Ltd (RFL), told BSS.
"We are very much delighted with the maiden export of crocs from Bangladesh as our dreams were fulfilled at last," he said, adding Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia to export farm grown crocodiles.
Mushtaq said Germany's Heidelberg University is importing the crocodiles for research purposes. "The export of crocodiles from Bangladesh would fetch US Dollar one lakh, ushering in a hope of croc business in the country," he said.
Earlier on January 21, the Department of Forest (DoF) gave the permission for exporting the crocodiles, Mushtaq said thanking the media for their sincere cooperation to this end.
He along with Mesbahul Huq, a pharmacist, set up the croc farm on 15 acres of land at Hatiber village under Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh district.
After exporting 67 crocodiles to Germany, there are now about 700 crocs in the farm, Mushtaq said.
While the project is Mushtaq's brainchild, it was Haque's investment that helped turn the dream into a reality. The two entrepreneurs were aided in their maiden venture with technical assistance from South Asian Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) and with financial support from the Equity and Entrepreneur fund (EEF) unit of Bangladesh Bank. RFL also received assistance from Southeast Bank Ltd.
The duo brought 75 reptiles ranging from 7 feet to 12 feet in lengths from Malaysia for commercial breeding of crocs at a cost of Taka 1.25 crore. Of them, eight died on the way to the farm established in October 2004. Mushtaq said they set up the farm with an aim to export over 5,000 pieces of crocodile skin annually and create a base for earning up to US$ 5 million by 2015.
Different countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, have shown keen interest in importing croc skins from their farm, he said, expressing hope that their farm would be able to export 500 croc skins by next two or three years.
He said there is a huge demand for croc skins, meat and bones in Europe, America and other developed countries like Australia, Japan, Singapore and China, and charcoal made from crocodile bones is indispensable to the global perfume industry.
Mushtaq said their farm follows the Australian standard and fulfills the criteria of IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) in breeding crocs.
Crocodiles are being commercially farmed in 40 countries including China, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Fashionable items made of crocodile hide also have great global demand. Well-off people pay high prices for those.
A good quality crocodile leather bag is sold for US$ 50,000 to US$ 55,000, and the clients are even willing to wait for two to three years for delivery. Crocodile teeth, and other by-products are used for making ornaments including necklace and showpieces, which also enjoy high international demand.
With the growing global market for crocodile products, the country’s lone crocodile farm is now offering such products in the local market on a limited scale alongside its exports abroad.
The Reptiles Farm Ltd now offers crocodile eggs, teeth, and live crocodiles for the local market on a limited scale through online marketing.
The crocodile products were put in one of the online portals, celbazaar.com, on Saturday as the company put the offer, ‘The country’s only commercial crocodile farm registered with CITES is making available a small quantity of crocodile eggs. You can eat these eggs like any other eggs; you can make Moghlai Parata or even Pizza if you want.’ The farm also assured to provide recipes on request.
Most of the viewers of the online advertisement were curious about such products, especially the eggs, and many left lamenting comments for the high price.
The farm is offering crocodile eggs at Tk 1,200 a piece, crocodile tooth at Tk 50,000 a piece and baby crocodile at Tk 1,50,000.
The farm’s managing director, Mushtaque Ahmed, told New Age that he received an overwhelming response and most of them were curious about eggs as it was the cheapest item.
Many of them also inquired about crocodile teeth and few wanted to know how they would keep a crocodile as a pet, Mushtaque said.‘We actually do not market such products locally. On a test basis we had advertised to sell some unfertile-eggs as we felt there are many people curious about non-conventional items. I think most of the people are interested in keeping the eggs as souvenirs,’ he said.
‘Although crocodile eggs are edible but such an idea is still a cultural shock here. And I think few would be interested in eating an egg at Tk 1,200,’ he added.
The farm began its journey in 2004 with 75 crocodiles, ranging from 7 feet to 12 feet in length, imported from Malaysia for commercial breeding at a cost of Tk 1.25 crore.
It made its first shipment of crocodile export worth $100,000 on June 4, 2010 to Heidelberg University of Germany for research purpose.
Mushtaque said that they had set up the farm with the objective of exporting over 5,000 crocodile skins annually and creating the means for earning up to $5 million by 2015.
Various countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, have shown interest in importing crocodile skins from the farm, he said, and expressed the hope that they would be able to export 500 crocodile skins annually within next two or three years.
Dhaka, June 5 (IANS) Bangladesh has a new item on its export list - crocodiles. The first consignment that has just left for Germany is worth $100,000, a media report said Saturday.
The maiden export was conducted Friday by the Reptile Farm Ltd., country’s lone crocodile farm, five years after it began farming the reptile.
The farm, located in the Hatiber village in northern Mymensingh district, now has 825 saltwater crocodiles.
Finding crocodiles should not be a problem in a country criss-crossed by rivers, said Mustaq Ahmed, managing director of the farm, adding that this consignment is of 67 frozen saltwater crocodiles.
Germany’s Heidelberg University is importing the reptiles, of sizes between 12 inches and 14 feet, for research, Ahmed said.
“If the shipment reaches in time, scope for export of crocodiles from the country will widen,” the New Age newspaper reported on its website quoting him as saying.
The country’s maiden move to export crocodiles was delayed several times due to bureaucratic tangles over issuance of permits to exporters.
He said the farm was ready to export crocodiles to Germany in December, but it could not be undertaken as the forest department did not give the green signal then.
The farm began commercial breeding of crocodiles by importing the reptiles from Malaysia.
Ahmed said they had set up the farm with the aim of exporting over 5,000 crocodile skins annually and earning up to $5 million by 2015.
France, Germany, Italy and Spain, have shown keen interest in importing crocodile skins from the farm, he said.
Bangladesh’s principal exports are readymade garments and manpower.
Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW | |||
 | |||
|
|
M.A. Qader-Our Correspondent in Bangladesh
Dhaka, 30 May (Asiantribune.com): Bangladesh for the first time will export the skin, bones, teeth and meat of crocodile by an export company from this December.
"We expect to start the export of crocodile parts from next December," said Mushtaq Ahmed, the chief executive of the country's only company dealing with crocodiles - Reptiles Firm Ltd, recently.
"As many as 100 crocodiles will be exported in first batch," he said
"The hide of the crocodile will be the main export product. A crocodile with all its meat, bone, and teeth can be sold up to $ 1500."
The firm launched a crocodile farm on 15 acres of land at Uthura of Valuka in Mymensingh after bringing 75 salt water of crocodiles species from Malaysia in Dec 2004.
Of them, eight died later on, he said
Mushtaq said that they would not have any problem in getting buyers as the skin of such crocodiles is in great demand in the world market for manufacturing luxury product.
He also expressed the desire to turn the reptile farm in to a tourist spot.
"We want to grow 15,000 crocodiles by 2015 with export of 5,000 crocodiles a year"
Mentioning the benefits of crocodile farm, he said, "The project requires a few workers . Apart from this, crocodiles are less vulnerable to disease."
Mushtaq said initial investment was Tk 5 crore which now stands nearly at Tk 8 crore.
The chairman of the company, Mesbahul Huq, a pharmacist, financed the project.
In the beginning, the Equity and Entrepreneur Fund unit of Bangladesh Bank approved around Tk 2.5 crore in loan to begin this project.
-Asian Tribune-
 |
Employees of Reptile Farm Ltd in Mymensingh are collecting crocodile eggs. Right, croc offspring hatched in captivity will soon reach their adulthood and be ready for export. Photo: STAR |
BHALUKA, Bangladesh |
(Reuters Life!) - A Bangladeshi entrepreneur wants to add bite to the country's meager exports with skin and meat from crocodiles, products he says are largely recession-proof as they're targeted at the rich.
Mushtaq Ahmed's Reptiles Farm Ltd is the first to commercially farm saltwater crocodiles in largely impoverished Bangladesh, with the aim of supplying the luxury goods market.
It took Ahmed several years to get the necessary financing and bureaucratic approvals to set up the farm, which started operating in late 2005 with imported crocodiles and fulfils all international wildlife protection treaties.
"People first thought it was a crazy idea. But I always knew it was going be a successful project," Ahmed told Reuters.
"Four years on, it is now home to over 400 crocodiles, which is more than the combined total of wild saltwater crocodiles in Bangladesh," he said at the farm in the village of Bhaluka, 110 km (65 miles) north of the capital Dhaka.
Later this year, the farm will start exporting baby crocodiles and skin from the larger ones, with several European buyers already showing interest, Ahmed said.
The skin is used to make luxury leather products such as belts and handbags, and Ahmed aims to export over 5,000 crocodile parts annually, eyeing an income of about $5 million by 2015.
Crocodile teeth are used to make necklaces or decorative pieces, while bones are used in perfume production. Crocodile meat is also widely consumed in several parts of the world.
With all these commercial prospects Ahmed is confident his business will succeed, even in difficult times.
"This industry is not going to a affected by the global recession because those who use crocodile skin are targeting the really rich," he said.
Commercial crocodile farming exists in several countries, notably Australia, Thailand and Malaysia, but Ahmed says Bangladesh has a competitive advantage because of special import tariff agreements with the European Union.
(Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing by Miral Fahmy)
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – For the first time in its history, Bangladesh is going to export crocodiles for commercial purposes. On 21 January, the Department of Forests authorised the country’s only crocodile farm, Reptile Farm Ltd, to sell reptiles to Germany. Exotic animals represent a large market in Europe, the United States and a number of Asian countries. The goal is to generate up to US $ 5 million in revenues by 2015.Mushtaq Ahmed, managing director and CEO of Reptile Farm Ltd., said that on 31 August of last year, his company applied for a permit to export 67 frozen crocodiles to Germany and 10 live ones to Malaysia. After months of waiting, the Forest Department gave the green light.
He said an agreement was reached with Heidelberg University of Germany to ship 67 crocodiles, ranging from nine inches to five feet in length, which the university will use these in research. “We will export the crocodiles next month,” he said.
Reptile Farm Ltd. is situated in Hatiber village (Mymensingh district), and owns 825 saltwater crocodiles, including 67 specimens that are big size.
Ahmed noted that the regular export of crocodiles from Bangladesh would be an important source of foreign exchange earnings. The aim is to export over 5,000 pieces of crocodile skin annually and create a base for “earning up to US$ 5 million by 2015.”
There is a huge demand of crocodiles in European nations like France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Crocodile skins, meat and bones as well as charcoal made from croc bones used in the perfume industry are in great demand.
To meet this demand, more crocodile farms could be set up in Bangladesh, Ahmed said.
DHAKA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Some young Bangladeshi entrepreneurs began farming of crocodiles on commercial basis in northern Bangladesh, first of its kind in South Asia, reported the daily New Age on Tuesday.
They selected such an uncommon sector to develop their business, considering the export potentials of crocodile skin and allied products.
The idea of rearing crocodile came from Mushtaque Ahmed, a business executive and also environment activist. The idea has lured many people and at one stage, a company, Reptiles Farm Limited, emerged.
Mushtaque, now the managing director and chief executive officer of the company, said …
27th March 2011
A crocodile farm grown up at Bhaluka -The Industry
Staff Correspondent: A Bangladeshi entrepreneur wants to add bite to the country’s meager exports with skin and meat from crocodiles products, he says these are largely recession-proof as they’re targeted at the rich.
Mushtaq Ahmed’s Reptiles Farm Ltd is the first to commercially farm saltwater crocodiles in largely impoverished Bangladesh, with the aim of supplying the luxury goods market.
It took Ahmed several years to get the necessary financing and bureaucratic approvals to set up the farm, which started operating in late 2005 with imported crocodiles and fulfils all international wildlife protection treaties.
‘People first thought it was a crazy idea. But I always knew it was going to be a successful project,’ Ahmed told.
‘Four years on, it is now home to over 400 crocodiles, which is more than the combined total of wild saltwater crocodiles in Bangladesh,’ he said at the farm in the village of Bhaluka, 110 km (65 miles) north of the capital Dhaka.
Later last year, the farm has started exporting baby crocodiles and skin from the larger ones, with several European buyers, Ahmed said.
The skin is used to make luxury leather products such as belts and handbags, and Ahmed aims to export over 5,000 crocodile parts annually, eyeing an income of about $5 million by 2015.
Crocodile teeth are used to make necklaces or decorative pieces, while bones are used in perfume production. Crocodile meat is also widely consumed in several parts of the world.
With all these commercial prospects Ahmed is confident his business will succeed, even in difficult times.
‘This industry is not going to an affected by the global recession because those who use crocodile skin are targeting the really rich,’ he said.
Commercial crocodile farming exists in several countries, notably Australia, Thailand and Malaysia, but Ahmed says Bangladesh has a competitive advantage because of special import tariff agreements with the European Union.
January 30, 2010
Bangladesh is going to first-ever crocodile export next month as the country’s lone croc farm has finally obtained permission from the concerned authorities to this end, reports BSS.
‘We have finally got the permission from the Department of Forest on January 21 that paved the way for our croc export,’ Mushtaq Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO of Reptile Farm Ltd told the news agency Friday.
He added: ‘We have sought permission from the DoF to export 67 frozen crocodiles to Germany and import 10 live parent crocs from Malaysia on August 31, but after examining different aspects for about five months, the department at last gave permission.’
Mushtaq also said that their farm was ready to export crocodiles to Germany in December last, but it could not be possible as the DoF did not give green signal to them.
According to the agreement with the Heidelberg University of Germany, he said, their farm is going to export 67 frozen crocodiles ranging from nine inches to five feet in length to the university next month. ‘The university is importing the crocs for research purpose,’ Mushtaq said.
He said that the maiden export of crocodiles from Bangladesh would fetch $1,00,00, ushering in a hope of croc business in the country.
Mushtaq said the farm, situated at Hatiber village under Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh district, has now 825 saltwater crocodiles, of them, 67 are big size (average length 14 feet) and the rest are small to medium size ( 9 inches to five feet), he added.
After the end of the last year’s breeding season (July- September), he said, 411 baby crocodiles were born at their farm, which was 240 in 2008 and 140 in 2007.
He along with Mesbahul Huq, a pharmacist, set up the croc farm at Hatiber village on 15 acres of land.
While the project is Mushtaq’s brainchild, it was Huq’s investment that helped turn the dream into a reality.
The two entrepreneurs were aided in their maiden venture with technical assistance from South Asian Enterprise Development Facility and with financial support from the equity and entrepreneur fund unit of Bangladesh Bank. RFL also received assistance from Southeast Bank Ltd.
The duo brought 75 reptiles ranging from 7 feet to 12 feet in lengths from Malaysia for commercial breeding of crocs at a cost of Taka 1.25 crore. Of them, eight died on the way to the farm established in October 2004.
Mushtaq said they set up the farm with an aim to export over 5,000 pieces of crocodile skin annually and create a base for earning up to US$ 5 million by 2015.
Different countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, have shown keen interest in importing croc skins from their farm, he said, expressing hope that their farm would be able to export 500 croc skins by next two or three years.
He said there is a huge demand for croc skins, meat and bones in Europe, America and other developed countries like Australia, Japan, Singapore and China, and charcoal made from crocodile bones is indispensable to the global perfume industry. To meet this demand, he opined, more croc farms could be set up in Bangladesh.
Mushtaq, however, stressed the need for simplification of the procedures by the concerned department for exporting crocs from Bangladesh, saying that otherwise none would come forward for this unconventional business.
Image Courtesy: NewAgebd
