Hazrat, an extraordinary farmer
It requires direct investment to commercialise and modernise the agriculture sector. Over 40 percent of Bangladesh's total labour force is engaged in the farming sector.
But compared to that, the per capita investment and value addition in this sector is too low. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, currently the per capita investment in agriculture in the country is only $16. On the other hand, the amount of added value is $1,037, which is quite lower than the average per capita added value in other South Asian countries.
But nowadays, the investment in agriculture is gradually increasing as industrialists, businessmen and even retired personnel are investing in the sector.
Among many other stories, the story of Hazrat Ali Akand of Kuthurakanda in Sherpur is quite different.
I wrote on Hazrat in The Daily Star back in 2021.
Hazrat spent his entire childhood half-starved. He even worked at other's farm and schooling was never possible due to extreme poverty.
He came to Dhaka and took a job at a grocery shop in Jatrabari area, which didn't go well for him.
After losing his job seven months later he tried to work at a garment factory, but failed again.
He then started to sell fruits at a city street and used to sleep wherever he could.
Later, he rented a shop and one of his relatives lent him Tk 20,000 to buy fruits for his shop.
Once he did not have enough money to rent a place to stay, but business started expanding when he began a grocery shop alongside the fruit shop.
He now has a huge storehouse of grocery products. He also has 25 trucks to send the goods across the country.
"By watching your inspiring videos on the social media I have built several orchards of different fruits," Hazrat said.
Hazrat has developed 21 fruit orchards and nurseries at three different villages in Sherpur Sadar upazila.
Hazrat has been doing a unique agribusiness with a great commercial prospect. He started from zero and came to farm 832 different varieties of fruits on 775 bighas (approximately 256 acres) of land.
In the first week of this month, I went Hazrat's orchards again and found malta harvest is over, but the orange trees were flourishing with fruits.
Hazrat believes that the outcome will be good only if you give the best facility to your workers.
Hazrat's younger brother Shafiqul Islam said this year they have a good yield of orange than the previous year.
Meanwhile, after watching the episode on dragon fruit, filmed in China, Hazrat built a dragon fruit orchard, following the same model.
The orchard is named after me, which is an honour to achieve such recognition from our dear farmer Hazrat Ali.
Before doing any investment, especially in agriculture, you have to know it and comprehend more keenly. Agricultural success is not only limited to crop production because production costs, profit and loss have to be calculated. It requires skill and love for the sector. We hope there are many more Hazrat to come to enrich the sector.
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