Gourd cultivation changes his lot
A smiling Mohsin holds two gourds produced in his field at Banuria village in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenidah district as the farming has brought him solvency.Photo: STAR
Mohsin Ali, a poor farmer at Banuria village under Kaliganj upazila, has changed his lot by cultivating gourd. Inspired by his younger brother Humayun Kabir, an NGO worker in Dhaka, Mohsin undertook a project to cultivate 'Diana', a China high-breed variety in February and till end of July he earned Tk 3.60 lakh. In August, Mohsin made another Tk 1.50 lakh. From dawn to dusk Mohsin toils in the gourd field with hired labourers, nurturing the creepers and blossoming flowers. Days are over for Mohsin when he had to struggle to bring a morsel of food for the family. “As it is my first venture, I had to spend Tk 1.20 lakh to lease the land and prepare the field for gourd cultivation. I hope the costs will drop drastically next year,” he said. The wholesale buyers from different parts of the district come to his field and buy the crop with cash. “Our indigenous plants would not have so much growth in so little time. I never thought it would be so profitable,” Mohsin said. At Banuria village, a lively atmosphere prevails with traders coming to buy the vegetable and other curious farmers from neighbouring villages asking Mohsin everything about how he had started and what needs to be done to start a similar project. Mohsin said he intends to expand the project next year and inspire more farmers to join him. Deputy Director (DD) Shafiul Alam of Agricultural Extension Department (AED) in Jhenidah said that this year, 914 hectares have been brought under gourd cultivation in the district. “This year gourd farmers are getting good price for their produce mainly due to fewer growers,” Alam added.
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