Grass that changed luck of thousands of farmers

Twenty years ago, Abdul Gafur Sheikh was a poor day-labourer and debt-ridden and found it difficult to feed a family of six.

Later, a school teacher in Sultanpur Baraipara village under Gaibandha's Palashbari upazila advised him to go to the upazila livestock office.

Accordingly, he went to the office the next day.

The livestock officer gave him some seedlings of Napier grass and told him to cultivate it. When he asked what would happen if he grew it, the officer replied that it would change his fate.

He grew Napier grass in his five decimals of land. Since then, there was no looking back for Gafur.

Today, the 55-year-old owns eight bighas of land and lives in a semi brick-built house with his family.

He and his three sons cultivated the grass on 20 bighas of land and made a profit of more than Tk 24 lakh last year.

"Growing grass is less expensive than any other crops. You need not any pesticides. Napier consumes less water. Once you cultivate seedlings, it will give you crops for the next three years continually," he said earlier this week.

The grass cultivation has not only transformed Gafur's life, it has lifted thousands of others out of poverty in the northern district.

In Sultanpur Baraipara, Napier grass is everywhere, from a farmer's backyard to a piece of a fallen land. Whatever land the villagers own, they have brought them under grass cultivation.

Now, around 150 farmers in the village cultivate the grass on 200 acres of land and make a living.

Following Gafur's footsteps, thousands of farmers in adjacent Projapara, Digholkandi, Boro Shimul Tala, Kacharipara, Ashamotpur, Lokmanpur, Kishorgari, Kasiabari, Katuli, and Bengulia villages under the upazila are cultivating the grass as well.

In fact, farmers in 30 to 40 villages in the upazila are growing Napier grass.

Faruk Hasan, 28, a son of Gafur, said: "We have overcome poverty by cultivating grass. Now thousands of farmers of the area are following my father's footsteps and cultivating grass to eliminate poverty."

Once, there were not many job opportunities for the poor in the locality. Now people who went to work in garment factories in Dhaka and other industrial belts are coming back and profiting from grass cultivation.

Md Jahurul Islam, 42, a farmer of Sultanpur Baraipara, recalled tobacco was the main crop of the area a decade ago. Now grass has replaced tobacco cultivation.

Abdul Jalil, a farmer in Ashamotpur village, said: "There is no crop that has zero loss. Grass is the only crop that incurs no loss."

"If you cultivate one bigha of land, you can earn Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 after a month. There is no risk."

If Napier grass is grown on one bigha of land, the expenses would be Tk 40,000 to Tk 50,000 per year. But the growers will make a profit of Tk 1 lakh to Tk 1.5 lakh in a year, farmers said.

"The grass grows so fast that you can harvest 10 times a year and will get 3,000 bundles of green grass per month from one bigha land," Gafur said.

Every bundle of grass is selling for Tk 8-10.

In 2005, Gafur started dairy farming as well. Last year, he sold 12 cows at Tk 1 lakh to Tk 2 lakh each.

Moinul Islam, a farmer in Projapara village, cultivated Napier on three bighas of land and earns Tk 20,000 per month. He has four cows.

"Every household in this village rear cattle. We are earning money by cultivating grass and farming cattle."

"Napier cultivation changed our economic condition," said Zafar Ahmed, a farmer in Projapara.

"Around 10 years ago, many unemployed men in this area were stuck in acute poverty. The situation has changed now. Every farmer of the village has a van to carry grass to markets. Children are going to schools and colleges."

Farmers supply grass to the markets in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Joypurhat, and Bogura districts every day.

Last year, floods hit these districts four times, and there was an acute crisis of fodder. "The grass saved our animals," said farmer Suruj Mia.

The tendency to use chemical fertilisers has reduced as farmers can use cow dung, said Abdul Bari of Sultanpur village.

Md Altaf Hossain, upazila livestock officer, said Napier cultivation increased in Palashbari in the last decade. "It is replacing harmful tobacco cultivation, and farmers are getting more profits from grass cultivation and rearing of cattle."

Md Masudar Rahman Sarkar, Gaibandha district livestock officer, said, "Abdul Gafur was the pioneer in Napier cultivation in the district. Now, it has spread throughout the district."

Napier grass is being grown over 373 hectares of land in Gaibandha.

In recognition of his contribution, Gafur was awarded a silver medal at the Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award-2014. 

Gafur said if the local agricultural office advised and trained farmers, it would have a positive impact on grass cultivation.

Palashbari Upazila Agriculture officer Md Azizul Islam, however, said, "Napier is not a crop. And we have no allocation to train farmers on grass cultivation."