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Meet Farmer Family Kallani Bag.
Mr. Kallani Bag is farming Black Tiger Shrimp in Debhata region, which he has been doing 15 years already. He owns 0.86 hectares and his parents used to farm as well. Being the 2nd generation, he resumes “I learnt shrimp farming from my father; this is related to our family and livelihood”. He is proud of having continued the work his father used to do, and the main activities of farming (culturing and harvesting) is what he likes the most. Certain parameters are dependent on weather conditions, and this is exactly what he dislikes about shrimp farming. The continuously changing climate and weather circumstances, which is even more in this specific region, is what makes his profession most challenging.
How a random day looks like for Mr. Kallani Bag?
“During the harvest cycle, I wake up early morning, between 04.00 and 05.00 o’clock. I walk to the farm and the first thing I do is harvesting, which after I contact the collector, who will transport the product to the Collection Centre. Right after, I go home and take lunch around 01.30 p.m. as well as some rest. The late afternoon basically consists of checking and monitoring the farm and I usually finish my working day around 18.00 o’clock.”
What has he seen changing over the years?
According to Mr. Kallani Bag, lots have changed back from when he started until nowadays. He explains, “the weather conditions are less consistent, so it’s harder to prospect what the season will bring. Nowadays the hatchery for post larvae is available, which wasn’t there in the past. Market wise, the demand for shrimps has increased”.
ASC’s Improver Programme
When asking how he experiences the Improver Programme, Mr. Kallani Bag first answer was “good” which he supported by “I learnt that pond depth should be 4 ft. and water and soil quality should be monitored. The cluster leader supports me on this”. The PL stocking method is also something he learnt during the programme. “By following the good aquaculture practices that I learnt through this programme and Luna Shrimp Farms, I take care of the environmental sustainability. Other than that, I don’t use chemicals and I’m careful about waste”. Where he sees room for improvement regarding the programme? Mr. Kallani Bag answered, “economic and technical supports related to pond preparation and pond management”.
How he ensures the health and quality of the stock?
“I do regular monitoring of the pond environment, I check the water quality on which the cluster leader helps me, and I always check the color and weight of the shrimps”.
How Mr. Kallani Bag foresees the future?
If the weather conditions are in favor, he prospects that the coming 5 years will be quite stable. Whether his kids will continue farming? “I’m not really teaching them. I leave it up to my kids whether they’d like to continue the farm in the future. They have freedom of choice about their careers in the future”.
Mr. Kallani Bag resumes the interview by mentioning that, despite the inconsistent weather conditions from time to time, the season has been well so far.
Date of the interview: 1st of July 2024
Conducted by: Mr. Sultan Salahuddin
