He is a teacher by profession, and alongside his job he has succeeded in growing dragon fruit on land in front of his home. He is Hasanul Haque Ujjal, the agricultural science teacher at Nimtoli Azizabad Charmaitha School in Barguna.

In February 2021 he spent Tk 20 lakh planting six and a half thousand dragon fruit seedlings on 1,125 pillars across 2 acres. He sells the fruit wholesale at Tk 260 to 300 a kg, and it is harvested twice a month.

So far he has sold Tk 7.5 lakh worth of dragon fruit. Every plant is now bearing fruit, and he hopes the yield will rise further.

According to the agriculture department, dragon fruit is a profitable fruit and growers can succeed quickly with it. Dragon fruit is grown on about 11 hectares in Barguna district.

Mostafizur Rahman, the Sadar upazila agriculture officer, said: "Dragon fruit farming is increasing every year in Barguna. With strong demand in the market, growers are benefiting financially. The agriculture office gives all kinds of help."

Badrul Alam, additional deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Barguna, said: "Dragon fruit is a high-value crop. We are constantly advising dragon fruit growers, and training for farmers is continuing."

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