China oranges hang in clusters between the leaves of every tree. Most of the fruit in the orchard has ripened to yellow, though quite a few are still green. People are crowding to the teacher couple's home to see the sight, and their success with oranges has made them known across the district.

Teachers Khalilur Rahman and Fatema Khatun Majumder have succeeded in growing China, Nagpuri and Darjeeling oranges on flat land in West Sarduby village of Barakhata union, Hatibandha upazila, Lalmonirhat. Every day people come from neighbouring upazilas and elsewhere to see the orchard and buy orange saplings.

Khalilur Rahman is headmaster of Milan Bazar Mozammel Hossain High School in the upazila, and Fatema Khatun Majumder is an assistant teacher at Purbapara Government Primary School in West Sarduby village. Alongside teaching, the couple have set an example of success by growing oranges with great care, inspiring hundreds of people in the area.

The couple started a nursery of various plants in 1995. In 2011 they planted Darjeeling orange saplings on one bigha of land. Four years later, 152 trees bore fruit, and in 2015 the orchard fruited heavily. People of all ages came from far and wide to see the orange trees and the fruit, as did officials from the district and upazila offices of the agricultural extension department. In 2016, Fatema Khatun Majumder received the Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The orchard now has 100 China orange trees. They also sell saplings of various orange varieties and of betel nut, and have built up a well-stocked nursery of orange saplings to spread orange farming, selling the plants at affordable prices. The teacher couple earn several lakh taka a month from the nursery and the orange orchard.

Khalilur Rahman said: "We first set up the nursery in 1995. My wife, Fatema Majumder, planted Darjeeling orange saplings in 2011. After that our orange orchard became very popular. My wife received the Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award in 2016, and since then her interest in growing oranges has grown even more."

Anwar Hossain, a local resident, said it was amazing that oranges were being grown in the country's soil. Every tree in the orchard has fruit, and the oranges look good and taste sweet.

Fatema Khatun Majumder said: "Alongside teaching, I got involved in agriculture. We love farming. After planting the orange orchard in 2011, we received full support from the agriculture department. I also received the Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award from the Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and since then my interest in orange farming has grown. I also spend my time on fish farming, dairy cows and other farm work."

Hatibandha Upazila Agriculture Officer Sumon Mia said there is one orange orchard in Hatibandha upazila and that he will visit it. Orange growers will be supported in various ways, he said.

Md Hamidur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Lalmonirhat, told Jago News that many farmers in the district are growing oranges on their own initiative, and many have already succeeded. At present, the agriculture department is mainly advising farmers to grow malta.

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