Badal, an enterprising papaya farmer

Born to a family of famers, Badal Miah of Ghatail upazila under the district has cultivated all sorts of fruits throughout his life. But it was papaya farming that catapulted him to prominence.

The 45-year-old from Sagardighi in Ghatail is now a role model to the farmers in his locality.

Growing up in the area, some 100 km northwest of Dhaka, Badal left school at an early age to join his father in farming work. They made a living mainly off growing bananas in the hilly terrain of Ghatail with fertile soils and favourable weather conditions, along with pineapples, turmeric, ginger and arum on a limited scale.

“Banana cultivation is prolific but it requires at least a year for the plants to grow to fruit bearing size,” recalls Badal.

It was a bold step that made him invest Tk 5 lakh from his savings to lease 20 acres of land from the local land owners early last year.

He planted the red lady hybrid variety of papaya seedlings in March. The trees grow to mid height at about six feet in three to four months and then begin to bear fruit, said Badal.

Last year, he sold papayas worth Tk 25 lakh from the orchards to commercial fruit juice processors, bringing in a profit of Tk 20 lakh. 

Badal, the enterprising farmer. PHOTO: Mirza Shakil

The red lady hybrid variety is more sought after than the local variety as it has a distinctive cerise colour, is sweeter and more fragrant. Papaya is high in demand for its nutritious properties; it is rich in antioxidants and vitamins C and B. It is also a good source of fibre and minerals such as magnesium.

With the success of the previous year, he gained the confidence to lease an additional 16 acres of land, expanding his orchard to 36 acres altogether.

“I spent a total of Tk 20 lakh on leasing, labour costs, seedlings, fertilisers and pesticides to nurture the orchards. I sold the produce to several food processing industries for Tk 50 lakh this year, churning a profit of Tk 30 lakh,” said Badal.

"Badal Miah has become an inspiration to all the farmers in the area,” said Khademul Mamun, a schoolteacher at Sagardighi.

"We have extended all sorts of support to Badal, including training and advice on nurturing the trees on such a large scale,” said Mohammad Abdul Matin Biswas, agriculture officer in Ghatail.

"Papaya cultivation is easy and profitable as the fruit matures throughout the year,” he added.