<i>Baukul : The man behind farmers' fortune</i>
Prof Dr MA Rahim (inset) and the baukul developed by him.Photo: STAR
Baukul, a wonder fruit, is now an agricultural buzzword and promises fortune for farmers. But few people know about the men behind it.
Many farmers in different areas of the country earned fabulous amounts by raising small Baukul gardens, which were reported in the media. Among them, Moiz Uddin of Pabna expects to earn over Tk one crore from his 80 bigha garden raised on leased lands.
But neither the government nor any NGO bothered to honour the two scientists who innovated the fruit after nine years' research and opened the door of prosperity for poor farmers. Baukul may be an export item, traders involved in it said.
The project was initiated by Prof Dr AM Faruq and Prof Dr MA Rahim at the Germ Plasma Center of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in 1999.
The tremendous success later brought agriculture experts from India, Pakistan, US, Germany, South Korea, Denmark, Japan, Sri Lanka and Nepal who visited the project.
After a long research from 1999 to 2003, they developed a new variety of Kul. As the research became successful, they conducted 'adaptation trials' in different districts through government and some non-government organisations.
After successful adaptation trial, National Seed Board registered the fruit as FTIP BAU Kul-1 in 2005, said Md. Shamsul Alam Mithu, senior research associate who is working with Dr. Rahim since 2000.
Dr Rahim said, they collected local varieties of Kul from different parts of the country and also from the Philippines, Somalia, Taiwan, Thailand and India. Baukul variety was evolved through tissue culture and named after Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU).
The fruit can be harvested within three months of plantation of saplings. On an average, a small tree yields 8 to 10 kilograms (kgs) of Kul that is sold Tk 80 to 100 per kg in local markets.
From the second year, the yield will be 40 to 60 kgs per tree and will go on increasing every with maturity of the tree. The seedling can be planted in tub for raising a rooftop garden, Dr. Rahim said.
The fruit has also medicinal value. It is rich in Vitamin-C, Vitamin-A, iron, phosphorus, calcium, protein, and carbohydrate.
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