<i>Altaf wins over misery as he never lost heart</i>

Altaf Hossain tending his vegetable garden at Saichabunia village in Patuakahli Sadar upazila.Photo: STAR

Altaf Mia of Saichabunia village under Patuakhali Sadar upazila has changed his fortune by cultivating vegetables.
"I became jobless after my right hand broke in a road accident 10 years ago. I could not afford to have good treatment and returned to my village with my family," said Altaf, 46, who once worked as a construction worker in Dhaka.
"Later with the help of my wife I started vegetable cultivation on my five katha of paternal land and got good yield. I also cultivated vegetables on a piece of land beside a canal.
"With the loan taken from a local NGO, I extended my farm on lands that I leased from a few villagers. I cultivate vegetables like brinjal, turnip, balsam apple, cucumber, cauliflower, bean, carrot, and gourd on my farm covering about half an acre of land and sell them at local bazaars.
"Often wholesalers as well as retailers come to my farm to buy fresh vegetables. I earned over Tk 50,000 by selling vegetables in last three months," Altaf said.
Seeing success of Altaf, many other jobless people also made vegetable gardens in the area. Vegetables produced there meet the demand of local markets including Titkata, Bobighai, Khatashia, and Officer Haat.
By engaging in agricultural work jobless people can improve their condition and help enrich the country's agriculture sector, said AZM Momtazula Karim, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Patuakhali.