"When I could not get my son proper treatment for lack of money, I understood what poverty is. Now I don't have to hold out my hand to anyone for food, clothing or my son's treatment. The dragon fruit field has changed my life." This is how Champa Begum, a woman entrepreneur who has fought her way up, tells her story.

Champa Begum is the wife of Enamul Hossain of Baniali village in Haibatpur union of Jashore Sadar upazila. She has already made a mark as a woman entrepreneur and now grows dragon fruit on one bigha (33 decimals) of land.

A few years ago her husband Enamul was injured in a road accident and lost the ability to do hard work. The burden of the family fell on Champa Begum. She began farming, rearing cattle and growing aubergine and beans, but it did not help much. Her husband was ill, and her only son Yasin, 18, was also ill and needs regular blood plasma. She struggled to pay for their treatment and run the household, and the family often went without food.

In 2020 Champa went to the market to buy dragon fruit for her son. Hearing the price of Tk 500 a kg, she wondered what would happen if she grew the fruit herself. She collected two saplings and planted them at home. Seeing them grow, she bought 20 more from the horticulture centre in Jashore. Then, determined, she planned a dragon fruit field on 16 decimals of land and set it up with saplings from Kaliganj. Despite the hostile attitude of her family and neighbours, she started tending the field through hard work.

Champa Begum said setting up the 16-decimal field cost more than Tk 1 lakh for pillars, rods, tyres and saplings. She tends the garden organically, without any chemical fertiliser. The plants bore a little fruit in the first year. Last year she sold more than Tk 2.5 lakh worth of dragon fruit, recovering her costs and starting to make a profit. This year she has already sold more than Tk 1 lakh worth, with the same amount of fruit still in the field and new flowers and fruit coming. After turning a profit last year, she is setting up a new dragon fruit field on another 17 decimals.

Her success draws people from nearby areas to see the field, and many have been inspired to grow the fruit. One of them is Fulima Begum of Baniali village. "If Champa apa can do it, why can't I? Seeing her, I have also started growing dragon fruit. I have planted 200 saplings and hope to get fruit very soon," she said.

The agriculture department says the soil of Jashore is suitable for dragon fruit. It is a cactus-type fruit from Mexico that suits Bangladesh's climate. It is very much a hobby crop, and commercial cultivation has now begun in the country. A plant takes one to two years to mature and a mature plant bears 25 to 30 fruits. The fruit is available every year from June to November. Ordinary fruit currently sells at Tk 200 to 300 a kg, and organically grown fruit at Tk 300 to 400.

Md Hasan Atar, sub-assistant agriculture officer of Haibatpur union, has visited Champa Begum's field many times. "Champa Begum is a woman who has fought hard. She surprised everyone by setting up the first dragon fruit field in this area. This fruit has changed her fortunes, and many people nearby are being inspired by her," he said.

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