Shafique finds success in Sharifa farming
Many farmers across the country are now becoming interested in commercial cultivation of different fruits and crops.
Even two decades ago, we saw different seasonal fruits were grown in a particular district or region.
But, day by day that picture is changing. Currently farmers are producing various local and foreign fruits like mango, guava, malta, litchi, orange, dragon and many other varieties almost everywhere.
Sharifa (custard apple) fruit have been added to this list recently.
According to the agriculture department, only a few entrepreneurs are currently engaged in cultivating the fruit on a commercial basis.
Still, Sharifa is being cultivated in about 100 acres of land across the country.
Among the few entrepreneurs, Shafique Mondol of Manikdighi village in Jhenidah's Kotchandpur upazila started Sharifa farming nearly a decade ago.
In 2014, Shafique planted 500 Sharifa saplings on three bigha land, aiming to replace the traditional fruits.
In 2017, the first yield of Sharifa fruit made him confident and since then he never looked back.
When I went to Shafique's Sharifa orchard, the wholesale market price of the fruit was Tk 350 per kg.
Besides, Shafique also has five bigha malta, five bigha dragon and a 10 bigha guava orchard.
Dear readers, Sharifa is not a new fruit. However, many people are now building orchards of different fruits, keeping the commercial importance in mind.
Shafique's Sharifa orchard has been quite successful as he makes a formidable profit by selling the delicious fruit.
Now he is earning several lakhs of taka every year.
Moreover, his success is inspiring many youths of the area to start Sharifa farming on commercial basis.
Shafique said demand for the tasty and nutritious fruit Sharif is increasing day by day.
While talking, a college teacher, who came to see the orchard, said being inspired by Shafique's success he has prepared two bighas of land for Sharifa farming.
Nutritional needs will be fulfilled to a great extent if expansion of this fruit plantation continues across the country, I firmly believe. Shafique's success will also inspire many.
But in that case, interested entrepreneurs must get into it with a good understanding of farming management, care and market.
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