Silent revolution in a remote village

Educated farmer Abdur Rahman at his Adarsha Krishi Khamar (bottom left) and pineapples produced at his farm ready for sale. The photos were taken on Saturday. PHOTO: STAR

Tea stalls have sprang up at Sundar Khata village where pineapple traders from distant areas gossip amid transactions with well to do farmers.

Buildings are replacing thatched houses of once-poor farmers.

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Their lot started changing when the poor farmers began growing pineapple, giving up harmful tobacco. Tobacco cultivation has been eliminated from Sundar Khata village in Dimla upazila.

The credit goes to educated farmer Abdur Rahman Bachchu Mia who initiated it in 1992. He now earns Tk four to five lakh a year from pineapple.

Alimuddin, Tobarak Ali, Hori Mohon and Ramjan Ali are among many like Abdur Rahman, who gave up tobacco and are now big pineapple farmers.

"Now I earn many times more profit from pineapple than from tobacco", Alimuddin said. There are about 30 big pineapple farmers in the village.

Farmers in neighbouring areas have also started growing pineapple, giving up tobacco cultivation.

A remarkable thing is that high lands left fallow earlier are now valuable as those earn profit from pineapple.

The farmers have also developed a unique system of inter-cropping. Shed trees of seasonal fruits like mango, jackfruit, blackberry, guava and olive, planted in pineapple lands, also earn them good profit.

The pineapple grown at Sundar Khata is of good taste and flavour and is acclaimed by traders as well. Dimla Upazila Nirbahi Officer Iftekhar Alam calls it 'Dimla Pineapple'

"I read in newspapers about the harmful effect of tobacco cultivation and started thinking to replace it with an environmental friendly and more profitable crop", Abdur Rahman told this correspondent during a visit to the village on Saturday.

"I planted some roots of Modhupur variety of pineapple plants out of curiosity on a small land.

"After two years, I and my neighbours were surprised to see the size and taste of the pineapple.

"This inspired me. I went to Dimla Agriculture Extension Department (AED) office. They gave me advice and also suggested me to plant shed trees. I planted fruit trees in rows.

"I gradually expanded pineapple plantation to ten bighas".

Now Abdur Rahman grows pineapple on three 10-bigha plots. He keeps the plots fallow alternately after each harvest.

Around 13,000 roots are planted in one bigha and around 10,000 pineapple can be harvested, he said.

The production cost is around Tk 2.50 per piece, which is sold at around Tk 6. On an average, he earns around Tk 3.5 lakh from pineapple and Tk one lakh from fruits in one plot annually.

Nilphamari AED Deputy Director Shawkat Hossen calls it 'agroforestry'. "It (planting shed trees) makes pineapple juicy and sweet and also gives other fruits and timber". He said they will spread its cultivation in entire Dimla and Domar upazilas.

Abdur Rahman had to face marketing problem initially as no body knew that pineapple was grown at Sundar Khata.

"I engaged some hawkers who moved door to door and sold pineapples at Tk 2 to 3 per piece."

Now traders come to my farm.

Dimla AED Officer Monju Alam Sarkar said, seeing the success of Sundar Khata, many farmers in surrounding areas are becoming more and more inclined to pineapple farming.

This correspondent came across several traders at the village.

Ramjan Ali of Shutibari Hat of Dimla said he used to buy pineapples from wholesale traders in Modhupur or Chittagong Hill Tracks earlier. The price was around Tk 10 per piece because of high transportation cost. Besides pineapples used to rot that incurred loss at times.

"Now we get the same quality of pineapple at our door step at Sundar Khata", Ramjan added.

This has brought about other changes also.

"My school is now crammed with students" said the headmaster of a Sudnar Khata Primary School.

Dimla Upazila Agriculture Officer SM Mostafizur Rahman said many people now come to us for advice on pineapple cultivation.

Lands in entire Dimla upazila are suitable for this crop, he said.

"It (pineapple cultivation) is a discovery by Abdur Rahman", said former Union Parishad chairman Tabibur Rahman. "He has changed Sudnar Khata into a flourishing village".

Abdur Rahman with a broad smile on his face said, "I wanted to divert people's attention from tobacco cultivation. I am successful. Even fallow lands are now very useful".