Educated young man Babul of Hatiber village, Bhaluka upazila, Mymensingh, has set an example of success by growing bottle gourd on 30 bighas of hilly land. His gourd farm on leased fallow land is a model for others in the area.

The look of Bhaluka's hilly area has changed. Beside a few fields of ripe Aman, long dense-green gourd trellises now peek out. The 30 bighas belong not to an experienced farmer but to Babul, an educated young man from a very poor local family.

Babul said the land was once jungle, which he had cleared with local labour. He sold land to raise 400,000 taka and borrowed another 400,000 taka to start.

His first inspiration was a television programme: watching Hridoye Mati O Manush encouraged him to start, believing he would succeed.

He has sold about 400,000 to 500,000 taka worth of gourds so far and expects to sell another 700,000 to 800,000 taka worth. If the market holds, he hopes to repay his loans, make a profit and keep the trellises. Every other day, 1,500 to 2,000 gourds are cut and sent via local markets to the capital. A local wholesaler said only wholesalers used to earn, but now farmers get good money too.

Babul says businesses across Bangladesh get loans and other facilities, but he received no credit. When pests attack, he sprays pesticide from his own knowledge. He believes success requires taking risks, and he dreams of going far.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.