Iqbal Siddiquee
SYLHET, Apr 07: A good number of young people in the district are showing their interest in modern farming.
Among them son of a national award winner wants to be a model farmer in Sylhet city suburban area of Dakshin Surma upazila. Abdus Sobur Sujam prepares vermicompost on his agri farm near his paternal house at village.
'Sylhet Agricultural University (SAU) Professor Md. Shahidul Islam provides me all out support. Now I am engaged in tomato, bean, broccoli, French bean etc farming under the programme 'production and development of vegetables in Sylhet region'.
The DAE also came up with supporting him for producing organic fertiliser for vegetables and summer season crops. "I have set a verimicompost unit on my land for my own use as well as to demonstrate things to the neighbouring farmers", Sujam said, adding, "DAE gave us a rice transplanter for group farming."
"I spent Tk 25,000 in the last year for producing crops like cucumber, bitter gourd, brinjal, ridge gourd and snake gourd on one acre land and earned about Tk 0.1 million. Harvest starts in 45 days. This year it is done on four acres", he added.
"Things are getting changed day by day. Just years ago the common people in this region were not that much interested in farming, but the total scenario is just getting different by now", said Abdus Sabur of Mollargaon village.
BADC had set an irrigation project in their village two years ago for providing irrigation facility to bring about 100 acres of land. Now the area has gone upto 200 acres.
As a successful farmer, he is also the secretary of the Mollargaon Common Interest Group (CIG), cooperative association of farmers, organised by the DAE for motivating general farmers in newer methods of agriculture technology. It was registered in 2013-2014.
"I try to avoid using chemical fertiliser on my croplands. Vermicompost is the best alternative since it is less costly and natural. Although the people were not that much aware of the benefits, now they know well about vermicompost", he added.
Abdus Sabur has been trying to follow the ideals of his father Arshad Ali, who had won silver medal in the Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award in 1974. Mr Arshad also won president's national agriculture award in 1988 for his laudable contribution in spreading modern farming methods in greater Sylhet region.
"Still there is a good demand of organic vegetable. Often I don't have to go the markets for selling those. Some wholesalers collect produce like tomato and brinjal from my house. However, I get good response and better price at the city's Rikabibazar for a wholesale trade of my produces", Abdus Sobur said.
Lauding his activities, the SAU Professor Shahidul Islam said Abdus Sabur is a successful farmer. "We have been providing him some assistances in this connection", he added.
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