Abul Kalam Azad was born and raised in a rural setting and studied at school, college and university, earning a master's degree, the MSS. He never chased a job. Despite being educated, he always wanted to become self-reliant by holding on to his family land, and with that aim he turned to farming, trying different crops over the years to improve his fortunes.

In that spirit, Abul Kalam Azad, son of Abdus Samad Master of Sidhongram in Palashbari municipality, Gaibandha, began growing hybrid papaya on his family land. He started on a small scale, but this year he planted about 1,000 papaya seedlings commercially on 5 bighas, and it paid off. A bumper papaya crop has lifted his finances. He began harvesting within six to seven months of planting.

Each papaya weighs 2 to 5 kg. Azad has drawn the whole area's attention by growing these huge papayas. People come every day to see the orchard, many now plan to grow papaya after talking to him, and some have already started orchards.

Abul Kalam Azad said anyone can grow papaya and become self-reliant, while beating unemployment, in a short time and with little labour. He has spent about Tk 2 lakh in all, including land preparation, planting, fertiliser, pesticide, weeding and labour. He is now picking 7 to 10 maunds of green and ripe papaya from the trees almost every day, but sells mostly ripe fruit because the profit is higher. Ripe papaya sells from the orchard at Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,100 a maund.

Local traders collect ripe papaya from the orchard and sell it in markets in this district and in Rangpur, Bogura and elsewhere. Since planting he has sold more than Tk 3 lakh worth of papaya and already made more than Tk 1 lakh in profit, and it shows on his face. Barring a major natural disaster, he could sell another Tk 7 to 8 lakh worth of papaya this year, and with proper care he expects a similar yield next year.

He said he did not get much help from the upazila agriculture office, but with its full support he could have harvested even more.

Ashraful Islam Talukder, a lecturer at the local women's degree college who came to see the orchard, said success in farming is possible with hard work and a steady goal, and Abul Kalam Azad is a fine example. He has triumphed with his papaya orchard, and many in the area are being encouraged to grow papaya by seeing it.

In many villages of Palashbari, rows of green and yellow papaya trees now catch the eye. Farmers are tasting profit, and the word "want" is disappearing from rural areas.

Upazila agriculture officer, agriculturist Mst Fatema Kawsar Mishu, said hybrid papaya farming in the upazila has grown more than at any time in the past. Farmers are seeing profit in a short time by growing improved varieties, and many are becoming interested in papaya. The upazila agriculture department always gives farmers tireless help in tackling pests, diseases, viruses and infections in papaya, she said.

Reported by Arif Uddin.

Source: Amader Shomoy. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.