ZCZC
BSS-16
NURSERY-RURAL-ECONOMY (with picture)
‘Thriving nursery business improving rural economy’
RANGPUR, Feb 3, 2019 (BSS) – The flourishing private sector nursery
business is changing fortune of many rural families to improve rural economy
in recent years in Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials said the nursery business has become a very profitable venture
helping the rural people to cut poverty and achieve self-reliance side by
side with improving environment, ecology and bio-diversity.
“Some 1.15-lakh people are involved directly or indirectly in nursery
business at 38 government and 1,186 private sector nurseries in all five
districts of the region,” said Horticulture Specialist of the Department of
Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam.
The number of produced saplings of wood, fruit and medicinal trees is
increasing every year with increasing number of nurseries both in the private
and government sectors.
“More than 4,000 rural people are working in nurseries as the business in
growing with increasing demand of saplings encouraging more people in setting
up of new nurseries,” Islam added.
The produced saplings of mango, jackfruit, orange, ‘segun’, ‘baukul’,
‘apple kul’, mahogany, ‘babla’, flowers, cinnamon, cardamom, guava, ‘amloki’,
strawberry, grapes, litchi, black berry, ‘jamrul’, wood apple, pomegranate,
‘shilkorai’, ‘shishu’, ‘neem’, ‘sajina’, coconut and cane ‘golap jam’ are on
the best sales.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said tree
plantation campaign has become a successful social movement giving a further
boost to nursery business.
Abdul Ohid Sheikh, 68, of Horkoli village near Paglapeer in Rangpur Sadar
upazila has set up a glaring example of success in nursery business.
He began his nursery business by setting up ‘Nasim Nursery’ from 1994 in
the area. After his retirement from the post of a gardener in a government
horticulture farm in 2006, Ohid Sheikh engaged his full efforts to the
nursery business.
“Currently, I have expanded my nurseries on 32 acres of land, including six
acres of my own lands and 26 acres taken on lease at Horkoli, Sholeyasha,
Rotirampur and Modern Mour areas in Sadar upazila,” he said.
“There are some 10-lakh saplings of different varieties fruit, wood and
medicinal trees at my nurseries where more than 100 farm-labourers are
working at salaries between Taka 7,000 and Taka 10,000 per month,” Sheikh
said.
The mostly sold saplings are of ‘Haribhanga’, ‘Lengra’, ‘Ruplai’,
‘Gopalbhog’, ‘Aswina’, ‘Misribhog’, ‘Khheershapati’, ‘Fazlee’ varieties of
mango and ‘Bedana’, ‘ China’, ‘Bombay’ and ‘Madrazi’ varieties of litchi in
his nurseries.
“Besides, saplings of ‘Akasmoni’, ‘Ekashia Cross’, ‘Manzium’, ‘Rain tree’,
‘Amra’, ‘Dalim’, Black berry, Jackfruit’, Lemon, Olive, Papaya, ‘Neem’, ‘
‘Agar’ and other varieties of fruit, medicinal and timber tress are largely
being sold,” he added.
Ohid Sheikh said his saplings are being supplied to all over the country
and he sells 5,000 to 6,000 pieces of saplings from his nurseries daily at
rates between Taka 50 and Taka 500 on an average.
Similarly, nursery businessman Abdul Wahab, 30, of Jharbishla village in
Pirganj upazila of Rangpur narrated his story of changing fortune through
nursery business.
Wahab had no inherited land. He took lease of a little piece of land and
set up nursery 12 years back when he was living amid abject poverty with his
wife, a son and two daughters.
Achieving success within three years, he purchased 1.50 bigha of land and
took lease of another one bigha land to extend his nursery business.
“Currently, I am producing over one lakh saplings of wood, fruit and
medicinal tress every year,” he said, adding that he would earn a net profit
of Taka 2.50 lakh after selling his saplings this year.
BSS/SPL/MI/SSS/1703 hrs