When his father died soon after his higher secondary examinations, the burden of a seven-member family fell on Ashraful Islam. To keep the household going, the farmer's son took up farming himself. But his traditional rice crop was destroyed by early flash floods three times in a row. Even with a debt of Tk 2 lakh on his head, Ashraful did not give up. To get back on his feet he went to the upazila agriculture office, and on its advice he started growing pesticide-free, safe vegetables.

Success came quickly for Ashraful, who lives in Balikandi village of Kalkalia union in Jagannathpur upazila, Sunamganj. He made a profit in the very first year and is now a successful farmer. The upazila agriculture office says Ashraful pioneered safe vegetable farming in the upazila, and in 2019 he won an award as a successful agricultural entrepreneur at the upazila tree fair.

On a recent visit to Balikandi, Ashraful was busy in his vegetable garden. Finishing his work, he told this correspondent his story. His father, Abdul Batir, died in 2005, and he had to take charge of the seven-member family – his mother, three brothers, two sisters and his wife. After losing his boro crop to early floods three times in a row, he was at a loss, so he asked his cousins to let him grow vegetables on their land. Following the agriculture department's advice he grew safe vegetables and made a profit, and his vegetable farming kept growing.

He began on a small scale in 2010 and, after succeeding, expanded widely from 2014. His father had left him 4 kedar of land (1 kedar is 30 decimals). This season he has grown vegetables on 12 kedar: bottle gourd on 6 kedar, cauliflower on 3 and broccoli on 3.

Ashraful said he gets busy in his vegetable fields as soon as he wakes up. When there is a lot of work, he pays two or three young men from the village to help. This season he spent Tk 2 lakh on vegetable farming and has already sold Tk 2 lakh worth of bottle gourd. He hopes to make another Tk 8 lakh to Tk 10 lakh in profit.

Many are following the path Ashraful has shown. One of them, Gous Mia, said that, inspired by Ashraful, he grew vegetables on 7 kedar this season and has profited with Ashraful's help.

Ashraful's friend Saidul Islam, who returned home from Saudi Arabia, said: "What I could not achieve even by working hard abroad, Ashraful has achieved in the last five years through safe vegetable farming. Though he could not study much himself, he has educated his younger brothers. One of them got a government job last year."

Ashraful's brother Amir Hossain said that after their father's death Ashraful paid for his siblings' education and the household costs through hard work growing vegetables. He has now bought 10 kedar of land and 12 more cows. He makes organic fertiliser from the cow dung for his vegetable fields and uses "magic traps" and sex pheromone traps to control harmful insects.

Abdul Hashim, panel chairman of Kalkalia union parishad, said Ashraful is an example for the area. Besides profiting himself, he is encouraging his neighbours to grow vegetables, and thanks to him villagers no longer have to buy vegetables.

Upazila agriculture officer Shawkat Osman Majumder told Prothom Alo: "Ashraful is the pioneer of safe vegetable farming in this upazila. We have rewarded him as a successful vegetable grower, and we help him whenever he needs it."

Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.