When fortune smiles
Once unemployed Babul Mia now owns a 'mobile rice mil
Women husking paddy with Babul Mia's 'mobile rice mill' at Kachari Payradanga in Nageswari upazila of Kurigram district. Babul's innovation has come as a boon for local women as it rids them of the trouble to carry paddy to kilometres away for husking. PHOTO: STAR
A villager in Nageswari upazila of the district has changed his luck through innovative use of shallow pump machine. Bablu Mia, 34, son of Mazahar Ali of Balashipara under Nagweswari sadar union, was a nearly unemployed person only two years ago. Two years ago, the uneducated young man collected about 35 thousand taka from different sources including temporarily handing over possession of his 20 decimals of land to others. Then he purchased a 16 horsepower shallow pump machine with Tk 26500, set it up on his land and sold water for irrigation in 16 bighas of land of his villagers. He took Tk 60 per hour as service charge for water supply. Then he got the idea of setting a small rice mill in a small trolley that can be moved easily using the shallow machine. About Tk 70,000 was invested to prepare the mobile rice mill. He can husk up to 80 maunds of paddy with his rice mill everyday and takes Tk 25 or one kg of rice for husking one maund of paddy. After reducing the cost, his daily income from the mobile rice mill service stands at Tk 150 to Tk 250. People often call him to their houses for getting relief of making rice. He responds to their calls and goes to another nearest unions with his rice mill. While visiting the area Kachari Payradanga village under Nageswari union recently, this correspondent talked with Babul Mia and some beneficiaries of his mobile rice mill. He made 15 kg, 20 kg, 20 kg and 15 kg of rice by husking paddy of Misiran Bewa, 70, Jahanara Begum, 17, Nasiran Bibi, 60, and Amiran Begum, 59, of the village. The mobile mill service helps to save their time and relieve them of the trouble to go to two-kilometre away Nageswari Bazar for making rice, the beneficiaries said. “There is much demand of such mobile rice mill to poor people in remote areas. Unemployed people can do the mobile rice mill business as income source. I have a plan to develop the mill. But I am not getting a way to receive bank loan for the purpose,” Babul Mia said. He is married and father of one daughter and a son.
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