Farid Hossain, a young farm entrepreneur in Boda upazila, Panchagarh, raises vegetable seedlings without soil, in plastic trays filled with cocopeat (ground coconut husk). His Tepukuria Farmers Hub, built with an investment of Tk 2 million, earns him a net profit of more than Tk 100,000 a month, Krishi Shomoy reports.
The problem began on his own land: he kept losing money on poor seedlings bought from the market. In 2021 he started a trial with two beds and just Tk 800, which failed for lack of experience. He later took an NGO loan and rebuilt the venture as the hub.
He now leases 60 decimals of land and grows over 100,000 seedlings at a time in 10,000 trays across four units. The whole structure is enclosed in insect netting, and the seedlings are covered with poly-shade. Using local and imported branded seed, the hub produces papaya, pumpkin, bottle gourd, bean, tomato, aubergine, cauliflower and cabbage seedlings, and it also makes vermicompost.
Fifteen men and women fill trays with cocopeat, sow seed and tend the seedlings. Production and wages cost about Tk 350,000 a month. Seedlings now go as far as Bogura, Sirajganj, Narayanganj and Rajshahi, and local growers get them delivered to their fields by easy-bike.
Abdul Majid, a grower in Phultala, Bengahari Banagram union, said the seedlings are strong because they are raised in cocopeat and by organic methods, so he hardly needs pesticide. Farid complained that he has not had the support he hoped for from the agriculture department. Boda upazila agriculture officer Ahmed Rashed Un Nabi said all farmers receive technical help in turn, and inputs will be supplied if he applies, subject to allocation.
Reported by Krishi Shomoy's Panchagarh correspondent.
Photo (illustrative): seedlings raised in trays. Photo: Judgefloro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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