Peanuts bring smiles

Mohammad Ali with a heap of peanuts. PHOTO: STAR

He earns up to Tk 2.5 lakh a year from peanut on 20 acres of shoal land near Madhumati river in Magura. He has been growing the crop for the last five years.

Eldest son of the family, Ali now maintains his old parents and seven brothers and sisters. His success is a topic of discussion for many in Magura.

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Ali, now 25, son of Meer Hafizur Rahman of Khondo-Kasundi village, had passed HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) examination in 1998.

As usual for a poor family, he had to stop studies and look for job. He spent about one year in search of job. By this time, his younger brothers Amir and Alauddin had stopped going to school, he said.

Finding no job to subsidise the family income, he decided to take to farming.

"Arif tried to work as a farmer. But it was hand for him to do the job," Ali told this correspondent during a recent visit to his house.

One day, Ali came in contact with local AED (Agriculture Extension Department) officials. Knowing his interest in farming, they encouraged him to cultivate peanuts in fertile alluvial shoal lands and assured him assistance.

Ali cultivated nuts on one acre of family land in the shoal area in 1999 and earned about Tk 14,000.

Being inspired, Ali leased more lands.

"Next year I earned about Tk 28,000, which was beyond my imagination.

"I invested Tk 20,000 to lease more land and cultivate peanuts.

"Now I grow peanuts on 20 acres round the year and employ at last ten people to help me. Managing crops on 20 acres is a gigantic task, specially during sowing and harvesting".

Peanuts can be grown three times a year. Ali produces 100o to 1200 maunds of peanut in a year, Ali said.

"My sale proceeds vary from Tk two lakh to Tk 2.5 lakh in a year because prices fluctuate", he said.

"My younger brother Alauddin passed SSC examination this year," a proud Ali said.

He said, he had marketing problems at the beginning.

"Now traders come to my house and by nuts", a smiling Ali said.

The educated farmer now thinks to rotate crops. With the assistance of AED officials, he is now examining the possibility of growing other crops including potato.

AED officials' initiatives have brought slimes on many faces in the village.

Monirul, Dabir, Atiar, Masud, Hasib and Bakar now cultivate peanuts commercially.