Father, daughter’s success in mixed fruit farming inspire many in Bogura

The exemplary success of Abdul Aziz Pramanik and his daughter Dulali Begum in mixed fruit farming has inspired many in Bogura Sadar upazila.

They have made a lucrative profit from their orchard and nursery set up on 60 decimals of land.

About two years ago, Aziz started farming orange and malta on the land with the help of his son. After his son went abroad, his eldest daughter Dulali started helping with the maintenance.

He has recently begun selling fruits from the orchard and already sold over Tk 50,000 worth of oranges.

Aziz is currently cultivating 14 types of fruits and about eight types of vegetables in the orchard. His fruit orchard has 180 orange trees of Darjeeling, China and Mandarin varieties, and 25 malta plants of Bari-1, Vietnamese and African varieties.

The orchard also has a small nursery where orange saplings are grown and sold.

Other than oranges and malta, Aziz has also planted 200 betel nuts, 35 Indian jujubes, 20 guavas, and 150 Chinese lemon plants. There are carambola, hog plum, rambai, amla, elephant apple, lychee, grapefruit, and mango trees also in the orchard.

Aziz has cultivated cabbage, peppers, garlic, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, bitter gourd, and cucumbers in between the fruit trees of the orchard.

In response to a question, Dulali Begum said she came forward to help her father tend to the garden after her brother went abroad.

“The orchard was originally my brother’s dream. My father and he worked hard to realise the dream. I want to help my father in looking after and managing it,” she said.

According to the proprietor, visitors regularly come to the orchard and buy fruits from him. The orange and lemon plants have started to bear fruit. So far, they did not have to take the fruits and vegetables to the market for sale.

“Many youths of the area have been inspired by our success and are taking initiative to start mixed fruit cultivation. I invested about Tk three lakh in the last two years and I expect to make a similar amount of sales by next year,” said Abdul Aziz.

The father-daughter duo is happy with their success and expects to expand their venture further in the future.

Abdur Rahim, deputy director of the district horticulture centre, said the trees will bear more fruit as it grows older. Fruits from mature trees taste sweeter.

“If the soil is suitable for cultivation and the plants are nurtured properly, the farmer will get a good yield. Orange cultivation is increasing in the district as it is profitable,” he said.

In response to a question, Rahim said different varieties of fruit grow well in different types of soil. China orange variety is most commonly grown in the district. This year orange is being cultivated on two hectares of land in Bogura.

He further said, “I have visited Aziz’s farm and noticed that he uses organic fertilisers. The chemical-free oranges are not only delicious in taste but also healthy and nutritious.”