Fortune from papaya

Phul Mia is seen at his papaya garden at Baghirkull in Tungipara upazila, Gopalganj. He wants to expand his papaya farm on 100 acres of land if he gets bank loan. PHOTO: STAR

Initially he began cultivation of papaya on two and a half acres of land only in 2001. He has become a model to other fellow cultivators also. Following his example they too became self-sufficient.

After passing the HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) examination in 1994, Phul Mian was searching for jobs, but became frustrated. Life was miserable to him. Then he started doing business. He invested a good amount of money in his business, but he incurred loss.

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At this stage he decided to cultivate papaya. Fortune favoured him by using High Yielding Variety (HYV) of Thai and Malaysian seeds. The soil and climate of Gopalganj are suitable for papaya cultivation. Gradually he expanded his farm on 2.50 acres of land. He employed seven labourers in his farm, situated at Baghirkull in Tungipara upazila. Recently he added two more acres of land in his farm.

He cherishes a dream to bring 100 acres of land under papaya cultivation. If any bank extends financial assistance to him as loan then he will be able to fulfill his cherished dream, he told The Daily Star.

As a good quantity of papaya is damaged every year for lack of preservation, he urged the government to establish a cold storage in Gopalganj.

He also urged the administration to set up a Papaya Research Institute here for research purposes. Moreover, many educated young people can also get training on papaya cultivation which will ultimately help them establish in life.

Phul Mia told this correspondent papaya cultivation is a profitable one. Only Tk 25 is spent on care of a papaya plant which yields a good profit, he added.