Md Mostafa Kamal lives in Gazipur village in Chandpasha union of Babuganj upazila, Barishal. He is a professor at Babuganj Degree College, and alongside teaching he has had great success in farming. Using his spare time, he started growing papaya about four years ago, first planting a few varieties on a small plot as a trial. With hard work and proper care, the trees began fruiting within just a few months.

Encouraged by a good yield and good market prices in the first season, he now grows papaya on one acre. He has also had success farming fish in an enclosure in the orchard, and many others in the area have followed his example and started orchards.

According to the agriculture department, papaya was grown on 104 hectares in the district this year, yielding 20 tonnes per hectare.

A visit to the orchard found more than 500 papaya trees, each hung from bottom to top with countless papayas of all sizes. In the middle of the orchard is a fish enclosure where he farms pangas, rui, catla and other species.

"Teaching is my profession; farming is my love. Using my spare time, I am earning extra income, and the family has become financially comfortable. After all costs I earn Tk 10 lakh a year. Besides the local market, I supply Barishal city and Dhaka. As well as becoming self-reliant, I have given work to many unemployed people," Professor Mostafa Kamal said.

"About 10 people now work in the orchard, in shifts day and night. Each is paid Tk 8,000-12,000," he said.

In future, Mostafa Kamal hopes to grow malta and dragon fruit as well as papaya. "If someone works with dedication and hard work, farming can be a great means of progress," he believes.

S M Nahid Bin Rafiq, technical participant at the agriculture department in Barishal, told Jago News: "With educated people like Mostafa Kamal getting into farming, the younger generation is being inspired. His papaya orchard has become a lesson for many. We advise him regularly. He is getting very good yields, and others are being encouraged too."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.