Selim Uddin of Mirsharai upazila in Chattogram went to Saudi Arabia to change his fortunes. Unable to achieve much there, he moved to the United Arab Emirates. Six months after he arrived, he fell ill with jaundice. He returned home and was sick for a long time.

He slowly recovered with treatment, but his savings were spent on it and Selim was left with nothing, seeing only darkness ahead. Just then he started a very small nursery with Tk 3,000 of borrowed capital. The business has since grown and he has become self-reliant.

Selim Uddin is the son of Shah Alam of West Polmogra village in Khaiyachhara union of Mirsharai upazila. He has become self-reliant with a nursery of saplings of various fruit species. He began the business by buying saplings with Tk 3,000 borrowed, and it gradually grew. He now earns much more than he did abroad each month and lives happily with his family, proving that one can become self-reliant through hard work at home.

Selim Uddin said: "After working six years in Saudi Arabia and six months in Dubai, I came home with jaundice and wrestled with death for eight years. I borrowed money and started the business, a nursery of different fruit trees. I sell Tk 4-5 lakh worth of saplings a year."

He said: "The nursery has saplings of guava, China orange, Nagpuri orange, dragon fruit, Haribhanga mango, Kerala coconut, Vietnamese coconut, China-3 lychee, seedless lemon, Darjeeling orange, year-round Katimon mango, custard apple, Amrapali, Himsagar and other species. In season, 8-10 workers work here, and two work at the nursery all year round."

Selim said: "I named it Sohag Nursery after my son. I sell saplings in markets in the nearby Wahedpur union, Mayani, Moghadia, Saherkhali and elsewhere. They can be sold directly and online too. I earn more than I did abroad. It pays for my children's education and the household. I am trying to buy land to expand the nursery."

Chhagir Hossain of Baratakia said: "Selim was very ill when he came back from abroad. After recovering he started a small nursery and is now fairly self-reliant."

Mirsharai Upazila Agriculture Officer Pratap Chandra Roy said: "Many people in Mirsharai have become self-reliant through nurseries, and Selim is one of them. He has worked very hard since coming home. I have not been to his nursery yet; I will visit it one day."

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