Mango grower Billal inspires Narail people

NARAIL, July 03 (UNB):Billal Mir, a young mango grower who has achieved prosperity by producing chemical-free mangoes at Charbagjuri in Lohagaraupazila of Narail district, is now an example for the youth of his neighbourhood how to become self-reliant.
Officials at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Narail said Billal has set an example how to grow different varieties of mangoes alongside cultivating other crops.
The mangoes from Billal's orchard are supplied to other districts, including Dhaka, in addition to meeting local demand.
Talking to the the news agency correspondent, Billal said he got involved in mango farming 14 years ago by planting 1,000 saplings of different varieties and then brought 15 acres of land under mango farming after taking it on lease.
"Now, I've 5000 mango trees, including that of some high-yielding varieties like 'Chosa', 'Guti', 'Gopalbhog', 'Himsagar', 'Lengra', 'Haribhanga', 'Amrupali', 'Fazli' and 'Ashwini' on my land," he said.
"I never count any loss in my business, but this year 800 maunds of mangoes worth Tk2 million (20 lakh) have been damaged due to the cyclone 'Amphan," said Billal.
Billal said he has already spent Tk2.5 million (25 lakh) on maintenance, including nurturing and labour cost, and expects to sell mangoes worth Tk5 million (50 lakh).
Nine workers remain engaged throughout the year in maintenance of Billal's mango orchard and he hires more workers during the peak season.
Billal started selling mangoes on June 09 and continue it for a month.