An example for youths

A partial view of Abdullah Omar's Amropoli garden and plucked mangoes. PHOTO: Star File Photo

He earned about Tk two lakh in the current season by selling Amropali mango, a high yielding fruit variety. He has proved that the soil of Bhola is suitable for commercial cultivation of this high yielding fruit.

He earned the amount from 200 Amropoli plants out of 600 in his 17-acre farmhouse. The rest will bear fruit next year, he hopes.

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There are 2600 plants of 32 varieties of fruits in his garden, including those of jackfruit, guava and coconut. These will start bearing fruits within two to three years.

During a recent visit to the farmhouse in Ilisha, Abdullah Omar told this correspondent that he returned home in 2000 after spending 15 years abroad.

He purchased 17 acres of land and decided to build an integrated farmhouse.

He has also planted over 500 saplings of timber trees and dug five big ponds in the farmhouse for pisciculture.

He sold fishes worth about Tk one lakh from one of the ponds this year. He is growing indigenous varieties of fishes.

He also purchased 10 acres of land for shrimp cultivation along with Boro paddy and is now preparing to release fries.

He had a good harvest of Boro paddy in the last Aman season.

But Abdullah Omer alleged that commercial banks in Bhola are not assisting him with loan.

"I can complete the whole project work in about a year if I get some loan.

"This will allow local youths to get practical training on farming, fishery and horticulture. A large number of unemployed youths will also get jobs in my farm" Omar said.