Md Lebu Mia of Kochukata in Nilphamari Sadar upazila was once a fish trader, and his family lived on what he earned selling fish. Hoping for extra income in hard times, he saved some money with great difficulty and in 2001 set up a nursery named A R Mamun on one bigha of land.

He never looked back. Over 21 years the nursery has grown from one bigha to 50 bighas. It now employs 31 men and women from 15 families, and Lebu Mia has received the Prime Minister's national award for his outstanding contribution to tree planting.

The A R Mamun nursery holds saplings of about 1,000 local and foreign species, including mango, jackfruit, lychee, jam, guava, malta, orange, coconut and areca nut. There are also about 60 medicinal species, including bhimraj, turud chandan and crown of thorns, and saplings of about 25 near-extinct species such as dudhraj, harjora and swarna chapa. In all, the nursery holds about 12 lakh saplings.

Since 2014 Lebu Mia has taken first place at the district tree fair seven times in a row. In 2022 he came first at the national tree fair. Before that he received the National Award 2021 for his outstanding contribution to tree planting. He wants to use this recognition to help social and economic progress, create jobs for unemployed men and women, and encourage people to plant trees to protect the balance of the environment.

Swapan Chandra, who works at the nursery, said: "I have worked here for three years. The money I earn here pays for my studies, and I also help my parents." Jarina Begum, a worker in her fifties, said: "I have worked here for seven years. What I earn is enough, and the workload is light." Another worker, Mukta Akter, said: "I am doing well working here. I am self-reliant alongside my husband. There is strong demand for our nursery; people come and buy plants. All in all, things are going well."

The nursery's managing director, A R Mamun, told Jagonews24: "At first we leased one bigha of land and planted only neem saplings. The forest department bought those saplings to plant along roads. That was how it started, and we never looked back. Later we began raising fruit and medicinal trees and bringing seeds and saplings of various trees from abroad, processing them and selling them. My father, Lebu Mia, has received the national award. This award will take us further."

Founder Md Lebu Mia said: "It took a lot of hardship to get here. I used to trade fish. I received a training in the 1990s. From a mobile team of the agriculture department I learned that you could earn money by running a nursery and producing saplings, and I started in 2001. I could never have imagined the nursery would bring me here. People come to me for saplings, and my saplings go by truck to nurseries in the south of the country."

He said: "I want to encourage people to plant more trees and work to protect the balance of the environment. I also want to spread the message about setting up nurseries to protect the environment and create jobs. The award given by the Prime Minister will help me in this work."

Md Rezaul Karim, officer in charge of the district integrated afforestation and training centre, said: "The forest department has advised Lebu Mia's nursery from the start. Lebu Mia's effort and hard work have won a national award. It is truly a matter of joy and pride."

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