Dragon fruits cultivation changes youths' fate

FE Team | Published: December 25, 2023 21:32:00

Many youths of the country are changing their fates by involving themselves in the agriculture sector especially cultivating the costly fruits dragon and making them self-reliant, reports BSS.
According to the news agency's district correspondents, Mizanur Rahman Mithu, a youth of Sariakandi upazila of Bogura has become successful by cultivating dragon fruits. He cultivated dragons on eight bighas of land.
Mithu sold dragon fruits worth about Tk 2.5 million (25 lakh) last year. By changing his fate in this way, he has become the idol of other youths of the locality.
Many of them are taking practical training from Mithu and dreaming of changing their fates.
Sariakandi upazila agriculture officer Abdul Halim said "currently many people including youths are showing their interest in cultivating dragon fruits. Upazila office is providing all kinds of cooperation to them. Dragon cultivation has declined the unemployment rate in the upazila.
New agriculture entrepreneurs are being created regularly in Sariakandi. Mizanur Rahman recruited some unemployed youths at his farm, the Halim said.
Expressing satisfaction over his dragon firm and handsome earnings, Mithu said many youths in his area have been inspired by seeing his success.
Champa Begum of Baniali village under Jashore sadar upazila said her husband Enamul Hossain lost working capacity in a road accident a few years ago. Her only son Yeasin is also sick.
He is given plasma of blood regularly. In this situation, Champa has taken the responsibility of her family.
In 2020, she went to a local market to buy dragon fruits for his ill son but got embarrassed hearing the price of Tk 500 per kg .
She then thought of cultivating the costly fruit and earn for their livelihood by selling it.
Champa collected two saplings of the dragon first and later 20 more from the Jashore Horticulture Centre and planted those saplings on their 16 decimals of land.
This agriculture entrepreneur said she sold dragon fruits worth more than Tk 0.25 millin (2.5 lakh) in the last year and made a good profit. Champa cultivated dragon on 17 decimals land this year.
She has already sold dragons worth more than Tk 0.1 million (1 lakh) and expecting to sell more dragons in the upcoming months. Dragon cultivation has changed her life.
Now Champa easily treats her son and maintains a good livelihood without her husband's help.
Dhaka University student Mahfuz Talukder earned Tk 0.2 million (2 lakh) this year by selling dragon fruits produced in his 33 decimals of land in Sakhipur upazila of Tangail. The undergraduate student of the chemistry department said his dragon farm is situated in the Hatkumra area under the upazila.
"My main goal is to feed people chemical and formalin-free fruits. I have sold dragons worth Tk 0.2 millon (2 lakh) so far this year. I hope I can earn more money from next year as my dragon yield is very good," he said.