Rafikul shines in gourd farming

Farming has a great potential across the world nowadays and a jobless educated man of Shahpur-Ghighati village in Kaliganj upazila sets the recent example by becoming a successful entrepreneur through gourd farming.

Rafikul Islam, 45, a former Saudi Arabia expatriate, narrated the bitter experience of his life when this correspondent visited his gourd farm recently.

Rafikul, son of late Shafi Uddin Gazi of the village, said he completed his graduation from Jhenidah's Mahtab Uddin Degree College in 1996. 

At first he looked for job, but all his effort went in vain.

Failing to get a job, he took the decision not to try for a job anymore and went to Saudi Arabia as an overseas worker in 1998.

After staying there for over nine years, he returned home in 2007, Rafikul said, adding that after returning home he purchased some land with his savings and started gourd farming on a limited scale, alongside serving as a private tutor, for a livelihood.

He expand his cultivation area in 2018, and in the first year of commercial cultivation, he earned a profit of Tk 50,000 from one bigha of land, followed by a profit of Tk 1,20,000 the following year.

Last year he cultivated gourd on three bighas of land, spending Tk 1.5 lakh, he said, adding that he sold his produce for Tk 3.1 lakh and got a profit of Tk 1.6 lakh.

Rafikul, father of a son and a daughter, said he got 15 decimals of land from his father and now he owned 15 bighas of land.

Alongside cultivating gourd, he grows paddy and seasonal vegetables in the rest 12 bighas of land.

Recently he built a two storey-house and living a happy and solvent life through gourd farming, Rafikul added.

Seeing his success, many local youths throng to his gourd filed to have a look at the farming process.

He inspires them and gives them necessary advice about gourd farming as it is more profitable than the other traditional crops, Rafikul added.

Abdullah, a resident of Chandpara village in neighbouring Kotchandpur upazila, said Rafikul's gourd farm inspired him a lot and want to cultivate gourd in limited scale in the coming season.

Kaliganj Upazila Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Jahurul Islam said Rafikul is an ideal farmer and a very hard working man.

He also obtained agriculture related training from the Spices Research Centre in Bogura.