Akhtar Hossain: My journey began far away from the green fields of Bangladesh. For thirteen years, I lived in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It is a place of extreme heat and endless sand. I worked there as Mohandes Zara (Agriculture Engineer). My job was to make things grow where nothing should grow. Maintaining gardens in the desert is a constant battle. You have to fight the sun. You have to manage every drop of water. The plants are fragile, and the environment is harsh. That experience changed me. It taught me discipline. It taught me that nature requires respect and precise care. If you can make a flower bloom in the desert, you learn the true value of agriculture.
Eventually, the call of my homeland became too strong. I decided to return to Bangladesh. I wanted to use my skills here. I wanted to build something that belonged to me. After working briefly at a private firm to understand the local market, I took a risk. I founded my own company, Vet International. I am an agriculturist at heart, but now I focus on the business of nutrition.
My work is specific. I focus on animal health. Livestock farming is booming in our country. Farmers are raising more cattle and poultry than ever before. But raising an animal is not just about giving it grass. To get good meat and milk, you need high-quality nutrition. This is where I come in. I import specialized feed supplements.
I focus strictly on safety. All my products are 100 percent vegetable origin. This is a critical detail. In the past, some feeds used animal by-products. This can spread disease. Vegetable-based feed is clean. It is safe. It is the gold standard for animal health.
I do not compromise on the source. I bring these products from the best manufacturers in the world.
I import from Germany, Malaysia, and Singapore. I work with the Berg+Schmidt company to bring in Bergafat. I also import various growth formulas. These are not cheap additives. They are scientifically developed supplements. My clients know this. That is why I supply to the biggest names, agro farms in Bangladesh.
To understand why my work is necessary, you have to look at the current situation in Bangladesh. Agriculture is our biggest sector. It keeps our economy breathing. But there is a silent crisis in the food chain. We have a massive shortage of edible oil. This affects both humans and animals.
We cannot produce enough oil seeds in Bangladesh to feed our huge population. We are heavily dependent on imports. We bring in mustard oil, soybean oil, and palm oil. But here is the problem: humans consume almost all of it. There is very little left for the livestock. Animals need fats and oils for energy. It helps them grow. It keeps their coat shiny. It improves milk and meat production. If we feed the animals the leftovers from the human market, they suffer. They get poor nutrition. This is why I import supplements specifically for animals. I bring in vegetable fats that are designed for livestock and all animals. It ensures that the cows and chickens get what they need without competing with the human food supply.
This chaos in the human food market spills over to animal feed. Farmers who buy loose oil for their cows are often cheated too. They buy oil thinking it will help their herd, but the quality is unknown. This is why my business model is vital. I remove the guesswork. I do not deal with the open market confusion. I bring sealed, certified products directly from the manufacturer to the farm. When a farm buys a growth formula from me, they see the label. They know exactly what is going into the feed. This transparency is rare in our local market.
The future of this business is solid. The demand will not go down. In fact, it will skyrocket. Bangladesh has a large population. People are eating more meat and eggs. The demand for protein is rising. To meet this demand, we need healthy animals. You cannot get high production from a weak cow. You need to feed it high-energy supplements.
Since we cannot grow enough soy or corn here to meet the demand, we will always need imports. The gap between local production and demand is wide. It will take decades to close, if ever. Therefore, the business of importing quality feed supplements is here to stay. It is a secure field. It is not a trend that will fade away next year.
This brings me to the next generation. I often speak to young graduates. Many of them want desk jobs. They want to work in air-conditioned banks. They do not look at agriculture. They think it is dirty work. They are wrong.
Young people should be very interested in this profession. Agriculture is the engine of our country. If this engine stops, the country stops. But the old ways of farming are not enough. We need smart farming. We need educated importers. We need supply chain experts.
There is a huge opportunity for youth to fight the adulteration I mentioned. We need young entrepreneurs to build honest brands. We need them to set up testing labs. We need them to manage logistics so that farmers get fair prices. If young people enter this sector, they can fix the broken systems. They can ensure that the oil market becomes transparent. They can ensure that livestock get proper care.
My work also directly impacts national health. If a cow eats bad food, it gets sick. Then we eat that meat or drink that milk. The residue enters our bodies. It harms us. But if we feed the cow healthy, vegetable-based supplements, it stays strong naturally. The meat is safe. The milk is pure. So, by working in this feed business, I am essentially working for public health.
I invite the young minds of Bangladesh to look at this bigger picture. Do not just see a bag of cattle feed. See the science behind it. See the international trade relations. See the ethics of business. I started with a vision to bring world-class quality to our local farms. I have succeeded in establishing trust. Now, I want to see others join this path. The market is ready. The demand is waiting. We just need honest, hardworking people to lead the way. The soil of Bangladesh is fertile, and the opportunities are just as rich.
The author is an Agriculturist and CEO at Vet International, Bangladesh
