A rare example of jt efforts
Monday, 18 February 2008
Our Correspondent
MANIKGANJ, Feb 17: Five friends, who are all engaged in different professions, have set a rare example in the country's agro-sector by using modern technology in plum farming in the district, sources said.
The five friends--SM Akash, Jilal Ahmed, Mosharaf Hossain, Sarwar Jahan and Azizur Rahman- started plum farming on six bighas of land at Joymontop village under Singair Upazila of the district, 30 kilometres off the capital Dhaka, last year.
Jilal Ahmed, who is a college teacher, gave a total of six bighas of land for the farm, namely Agro-5, in exchange for Tk 50,000 per year.
Later, they planted 300 saplings of Baukul, a variety of plum, and 300 saplings of 'Apelkul', which were bought from the Agriculture University in Mymensingh at a rate of Tk 100.00 a sapling. They look after the farm by turns.
However, they have spent a total of Tk 0.2 million for hiring land, buying saplings, land preparation, plantation, nursing and fencing.
Harvest of plum from their farm has started recently and will be continued for two more months.
Baukul is being sold at Tk 120 to Tk 150 per kg and it is in great demand across the country.
They expect to earn about Tk 1.0 million this year after deduction of all production costs.
Inventor of Baukul-1 and Professor of Horticulture Department of Agriculture University in Mymensingh Dr MA Rahim recently visited the Agri-5 project.
Senior Scientific Officer of Horticulture Research Centre of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Ferdousi Islam Ivy and Abul Kalam Azad of Azad Hybrid Nursery also visited the project recently. A group of journalists also visited the farm.
SM Akash said they are trying to grow other crops at a time on the land. Eggplant, bottle-gourd, pumpkin, sweet pumpkin, green chilli, cauliflower and henna trees are also being cultivated in the farm as supplementary crops.
The plums grown at the project are of high quality. These are very sweet and bright coloured and their sizes are big. A fruit weighs 90 grammes to 150 grammes and a plant bears 10 kg to 15 kg fruits.
MANIKGANJ, Feb 17: Five friends, who are all engaged in different professions, have set a rare example in the country's agro-sector by using modern technology in plum farming in the district, sources said.
The five friends--SM Akash, Jilal Ahmed, Mosharaf Hossain, Sarwar Jahan and Azizur Rahman- started plum farming on six bighas of land at Joymontop village under Singair Upazila of the district, 30 kilometres off the capital Dhaka, last year.
Jilal Ahmed, who is a college teacher, gave a total of six bighas of land for the farm, namely Agro-5, in exchange for Tk 50,000 per year.
Later, they planted 300 saplings of Baukul, a variety of plum, and 300 saplings of 'Apelkul', which were bought from the Agriculture University in Mymensingh at a rate of Tk 100.00 a sapling. They look after the farm by turns.
However, they have spent a total of Tk 0.2 million for hiring land, buying saplings, land preparation, plantation, nursing and fencing.
Harvest of plum from their farm has started recently and will be continued for two more months.
Baukul is being sold at Tk 120 to Tk 150 per kg and it is in great demand across the country.
They expect to earn about Tk 1.0 million this year after deduction of all production costs.
Inventor of Baukul-1 and Professor of Horticulture Department of Agriculture University in Mymensingh Dr MA Rahim recently visited the Agri-5 project.
Senior Scientific Officer of Horticulture Research Centre of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Ferdousi Islam Ivy and Abul Kalam Azad of Azad Hybrid Nursery also visited the project recently. A group of journalists also visited the farm.
SM Akash said they are trying to grow other crops at a time on the land. Eggplant, bottle-gourd, pumpkin, sweet pumpkin, green chilli, cauliflower and henna trees are also being cultivated in the farm as supplementary crops.
The plums grown at the project are of high quality. These are very sweet and bright coloured and their sizes are big. A fruit weighs 90 grammes to 150 grammes and a plant bears 10 kg to 15 kg fruits.