Cox’s Bazar Correspondent :
Farmer Manjur Alam, 44, of Rahmatpur village at Jhilangja union under Sadar upazila in the district has become self-reliant by gourd cultivation.
Manjur Alam has been engaged in cultivation since his boyhood as he was not much interested in study and read only up to primary level. He left school and started vegetable farming on his homestead land. Thus, he becomes famous in the village as a successful farmer.
He spent one lakh taka on cultivating gourd on 100 decimals of land in July last year. The expenses include the cost of making frames with bamboo, purchasing seeds, organic and chemical fertilizer, pesticides and other inputs and payment to labourers.
“I harvested over 500 pieces of green gourds in every other day and wholesale price of each gourd is Tk 20. So far I have earned a net profit of about nine lakh taka during the last few months,” Manjur Alam said.
He will earn more Tk 50 thousand from the rest of his produces, which can be harvested till April this year, he added.
Besides, he also cultivates different vegetables round the year and thus he has changed his socio-economic condition.
Vegetable traders Jashim and Machon of the town said they buy around 400-500 pieces of green gourd from the vegetable field everyday at Tk 20 per pieces and sell at Tk 30-50 depending on size in the town markets.
Manjur said he is a registered farmer, but does not get necessary agro-inputs like seed, pesticide and fertilizer from the upazila agriculture office. During the last seven years, he got only 84 kg of fertilizer from the office.
He cannot expand his cultivation due to lack of fund. With the advice of agriculture officers, he appealed for loan from Krishi Bank four months ago. But he did not get any loan. Hence, he had to take loan form an NGO on high interest, he added.
Agriculture Officer of Sadar upazila Md Enayet Rabbi said Manjur becomes self-reliant by gourd cultivation and he has set example for others. Many others have involved themselves in the vegetable cultivation watching his success.
Farmer Manjur Alam, 44, of Rahmatpur village at Jhilangja union under Sadar upazila in the district has become self-reliant by gourd cultivation.
Manjur Alam has been engaged in cultivation since his boyhood as he was not much interested in study and read only up to primary level. He left school and started vegetable farming on his homestead land. Thus, he becomes famous in the village as a successful farmer.
He spent one lakh taka on cultivating gourd on 100 decimals of land in July last year. The expenses include the cost of making frames with bamboo, purchasing seeds, organic and chemical fertilizer, pesticides and other inputs and payment to labourers.
“I harvested over 500 pieces of green gourds in every other day and wholesale price of each gourd is Tk 20. So far I have earned a net profit of about nine lakh taka during the last few months,” Manjur Alam said.
He will earn more Tk 50 thousand from the rest of his produces, which can be harvested till April this year, he added.
Besides, he also cultivates different vegetables round the year and thus he has changed his socio-economic condition.
Vegetable traders Jashim and Machon of the town said they buy around 400-500 pieces of green gourd from the vegetable field everyday at Tk 20 per pieces and sell at Tk 30-50 depending on size in the town markets.
Manjur said he is a registered farmer, but does not get necessary agro-inputs like seed, pesticide and fertilizer from the upazila agriculture office. During the last seven years, he got only 84 kg of fertilizer from the office.
He cannot expand his cultivation due to lack of fund. With the advice of agriculture officers, he appealed for loan from Krishi Bank four months ago. But he did not get any loan. Hence, he had to take loan form an NGO on high interest, he added.
Agriculture Officer of Sadar upazila Md Enayet Rabbi said Manjur becomes self-reliant by gourd cultivation and he has set example for others. Many others have involved themselves in the vegetable cultivation watching his success.
