<i>Plum promises fortune for five friends</i>
Ripe Baukul in the orchard under Project Agro-5 in Singair upazila in Manikganj district.Photo: STAR
Initiating a plum cultivation project with modern agriculture technology on six bigha of land six months ago, five friends in Singair upazila in Manikganj are expecting a profit of Tk-10 lakh this year as they have already started reaping the fruit. The five friends -- college teacher Jilal Ahmed, journalist SM Akash, servicemen Mosharaf Hossain, Sarwar Jahan and Azizur Rahman -- undertook 'Project-Agro-5' for cultivating Baukul and Applekul at Joymontop village in the district on August 29 last year. Jilal Ahmed gave six bighas of land to the project for Tk-50,000 per year. They planted 300 saplings of Baukul and 300 saplings of Applekul, which they bought from Agriculture University in Mymensingh for Tk 100 at per. The five friends look after the farm work by rotation. Tk 2 lakh has been spent for hiring and preparing the land, buying saplings, planting and nursing them, fencing and paying the labourers, they said, adding that reaping of Baukul has already started and it is selling at Tk120-150 per kg. The bright coloured tasty fruit weighs between 90 gram to 150 gram and a plant bears 10-15 kg fruit. Within a week or so, reaping of Applekul will start, they said. They expect to get about Tk 13 lakh from selling the fruits, having a profit of over Tk 10 lakh this year. Inventor of Baukul-1 and professor of Horticulture Department of Bangladesh Agriculture University in Mymensingh, Dr MA Rahim recently visited the Agri-5 project. Senior scientific officer of Horticulture Research Centre of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Ferdousi Islam Ivy and Abul Kalam Azad of Azad Hybrid Nursery also visited the project. Project member SM Akash said they are trying to plant eggplant, bottle gourd, pumpkin, sweet pumpkin, green chilli, cauliflower and henna trees on the same land. Jilal Ahmed said they have plan to extend the project area to 16 bighas of land next year. Talking to journalists, Baukul-1 inventor Dr MA Rahim expressed hope that the country will be able to earn huge foreign currency through exporting the juicy and tasty fruit. Patronage from the government is needed for the purpose, he said. Baukul and Apple Kul cultivation is increasing in Manikganj district, especially in Singair, Ghior and Shivalaya upazilas, Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension Department Khokan Chandra Nandi said.
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