Home ›› 10 Feb 2023 ›› Nation
Nursery business has created huge jobs for rural people helping them to cut poverty and lead a better life even during the global crises caused by the Russia-Ukraine War and Covid-19 pandemic in Rangpur region.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said hundreds of rural families have attained self-reliance through nursery business alongside improving the rural economy, environment, ecology, biodiversity and ecosystems.
“Thousands of people are engaged in nursery business at 38 government and many other private sector nurseries in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region,” Additional Director of the DAE at its regional office Mohammad Shah Alam said.
Around 4,600 farm labourers, both males and females, are working in nurseries to earn wages as the highly profitable business continues to boost with the increasing demand for saplings inspiring more people in setting up new nurseries.
According to nursery owners, the profitable business is boosting fast, bringing fortune to many and creating huge jobs for rural people.
Nursery owner Md Abdul Wahab of village Jharbishla in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur narrated his story of changing fortune through the nursery business in the last 14 years.
“I set up a nursery on a piece of land taken on lease in 2008 and subsequently purchased 1.50 bigha of land and took a lease of more one bigha of land to extend my nursery business in 2011,” he said.
Currently, he is producing around 1.30 lakh saplings of wood, fruit and medicinal trees annually.
“I am expecting to earn a net profit of Tk four lakh after selling his saplings by August this year,” he said.
Nursery owner Md. Abdul Ohid Sheikh of village Horkoli in Rangpur Sadar upazila has set up a dazzling instance of success in the nursery business by attaining self-reliance and creating jobs for rural people.
“I began my nursery business by setting up the ‘Nasim Nursery’ at village Horkoli in 1994.
He has now expanded his nurseries on 33 acres of land, including six acres of his own lands and 27 acres taken on lease, at Horkoli, Sholeyasha and Rotirampur villages and Modern Mour areas in Rangpur Sadar.
There are some 12 lakh saplings of fruits, wood and medicinal trees in his nurseries where more than 140 farm labourers are working and getting salaries every month to lead a better life even during the prevailing global crises.
“I am supplying my produced saplings to different parts of the country and selling 6,000 pieces of saplings daily during the peak tree plantation season,” Ohid added.
Habibar Rahman of village Paschim Kursha Shikarpara in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur said he has changed his fortune through the nursery business over the last 23 years
As he did not have any land of his own at that time, he took 30 decimals of land from a man from a nearby village on lease with a one-year contract for Tk 20,000 and started planting saplings there.
“And, thus my nursery business began, production of saplings started. I am now working on the target of producing 30,000 saplings on 90 decimals of land,” he said.
Currently, he earns about Tk 1.50 lakh excluding fertiliser, seeds and irrigation, maintenance and transportation costs annually.
Habibar said, “My nursery is producing 150 species of local and foreign varieties of fruit, wood, and medicinal plant saplings in my nursery.”
Inspired by the success of Habibar Rahman, about 80 families, out of a total of 120, of the same village are now involved in the nursing profession and attaining continuous success.