Coriander farming makes them wealthy

Abdul Jabbar and his three sons working at their coriander field at Boro Char village. PHOTO: STAR

They have changed their lot by cultivating coriander, a leaf used as spice. All lands, earlier left fallow, are now coriander fields.

The coriander they produce are supplied to markets and big hotels in Dhaka and exported to some Middle East and western countries including Britain and Canada.

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About 300 families out of 350 in the village are now engaged either in cultivating the vegetable or trading on it. Now, about 70 acres of land are under its cultivation.

The credit goes to Chaddu Mia, who initiated the cultivation in 1998 on a fallow land near his house. It brought him a big surprise. He earned Tk 10,000. The expenditure was very negligible, he said.

Now Chaddu Mia is a big coriander farmer. The leaf can be grown on fallow high land in all seasons, but summer is most suitable, Chaddu Mia told this correspondent during a visit to the village.

This year, he cultivated the vegetable on half an acre of land and earned about Tk 50,000 so far. More about Tk one lakh will be earned, he hopes.

Last year he earned about Tk 1,20,000 from the plot. Chaddu mia said most of the villagers were very poor. They have changed their lot by cultivating coriander. Even the smallest farmer in the village earns at least Tk 20,000 a year, he said.

Coriander worth about Tk one crore is produced in the village, he said.

Abdul Jabbar, a big farmer, said he grew coriander on two acres of land last year and earned over Tk three lakh. He spent only Tk 20,000.

This year, he sold 85 maunds and earned about Tk two lakh so far. He hopes to sell more 50 maunds.

He said they sell coriander at Tk 60 to 75 per kilogram to traders coming from Dhaka and other districts. The price is around Tk 90 per kg in Dhaka wholesale markets, he said. At times he supplies the vegetable to a big hotel in Dhaka at Tk 120 per kg.

Abdul Kadar grew coriander on one acre of land this year.

All of them said the cultivation is very easy and requires no fertiliser and pesticide.

Ruhul Amin, a trader from Dhaka said coriander is in good demand in Dhaka and abroad. It can be marketed round the year, he said.

When contacted, Kishoregonj Agriculture Extension Department (AED) officials said they would take all possible measures to promote cultivation and markeing of the vegetable.