Zahid Hossain Israfil, son of Dabir Uddin Ahmed of Moddhoshalikha area under Chatmohar Municipality in Pabna, returned home after living abroad for 26 years. After returning to the country from abroad in 2011, he thought of doing something in the country.
Initially he started egg business, started a business with a grocery agency and set up a Poultry farm. But he did not succeed in any of them and decided to work in agriculture at a time when he was suffering from depression. Three years ago he became involved in agricultural work. He became interested in vegetable cultivation. He started cultivating pointed gourd in January 2020. He has planted pointed gourd locally known as ‘Potol' on only 1.5 Bighas of land and has surprised everyone with his success.
Zahid Hossain said that he has got success in just ten months by cultivating this vegetable and has become solvent. He said he has set nets and wire fences on four sides of the pointed gourd garden. After planting the vines of pointed gourd, he made a bamboo platform and raised them on a high platform. In all, he has spent Tk 1 lakh on cultivating one and a half Bighas of pointed gourd. He started collecting fruits two months after planting the vines. So far, he has sold pointed gourd worth around Tk 3 lakh.
He informed that he uses organic manure as well as small amounts of pesticides in his pointed gourd garden. At present, he is extracting about a mound of pointed gourd from this land every day. He is selling them at a price of Tk 45 to 50 per kg.
Besides pointed gourd, he is cultivating various vegetables including eggplant, chili, cauliflower and cabbage. He hopes to produce 30,000 pointed gourd saplings from his vine this year. He has already received orders for ten thousands saplings.
He has leased more land, planted eggplant on one Bigha of land, banana on one Bigha of land and cauliflower and cabbage on two Bighas of land. He sells his vegetables at various markets in Chatmohar and Bhangura in Pabna.
Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Officer AA Masum Billah said farmers are benefiting from higher vegetable prices this year. New pointed gourd cultivation has started and farmers are planting pointed gourd vines in the land. Pointed gourd vines have already been planted on 52 hectares of land in the upazila and planting has continued.