Women’s participation in incomegenerating activities like dairy farming in rural areas is growing in the country, ensuring countrywide supply of milk, a primary source of nutrition.

However, their roles apparently remain behind the scene as men usually deal with clients in most cases.

For example, Pran Dairy maintains a network of 31,000 dairy farmers, solely designated for dairy farming, and they have 78,000 cows. Most of the farmers change their livelihood by dairy farming.

Though men are doing the financial transactions, female members of those farming families play the key role in dairy farming.

A correspondent while visiting dairy hubs of Pran in Chatmohor of Pabna, Shahzadpur and Baghabari of Sirajganj, found this scenario while talking to stakeholders.

Lily Khatun was one of the offstage players who send milk to the collection centres established by Pran in

Barshalikha village of Chatmohar.

Lily, a 35-year-old registered farmer of Pran, started her journey with only one cow. Now she owns 10 cows.

"Three of them give 35 litres of milk a day," she said, adding that she makes profit of Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000 a week by selling milk to collection centres.

Pran Dairy Ltd aims to increase its capacity of collecting milk to 1 million litres a day within the next five years from 0.15 million litres a day at present.

The company collects nearly 0.15 million litres of milk from 31,000 contract farmers spreading across 12 districts, mostly in the country's north region.

Rakibur Rahman, chief dairy (extension) of Pran Dairy, told the news agency that some locals are only farming cows to meet the demand for milk of their own families and the marginalised farmers did not consider dairy farming as their main source of income.

"As a result, Bangladesh has to import a huge amount of powdered

milk to meet the demand," he said.

To meet the huge demand, Pran had started the milk collection process in 2001.

Rahman said Pran had developed a new concept—Dairy Hub—in the industry. "The concept later got a positive response. ”

He said milk is currently being collected from 12 districts. "So far, five milk production regions (Dairy Hub) have been set up. Besides, some agents are also providing milk toPran."

"We're giving support to the dairy farmers to inspire them," said Jakirul Islam, manager of Pran Dairy Hub in Chatmohor of Pabna.

He said modern knowledge helped them increase milk production. "We provide free vaccines, treatments and medicines from dairy hub at production cost."

Rakibur Rahman said Pran has 124 milk collection centres and the centres have been set up at the doorstep of dairy farmers. The collected milk is then brought to the Narsingdi factory, he said.