Pearl farming is getting popular in Bhola’s Daulatkhan upazila as a potentially lucrative business thanks to the efforts of two young entrepreneurs.
Jihad and Jahid, cousins from Medua union became interested in this unique trade from watching YouTube videos. To this end, they began pearl farming in a pond by their homes with a small amount of capital and expected lucrative profit.
They collected oysters from Natore and started pearl farming in a pond of 24 decimals in November 2022. Their initial investment was Tk 65,000.
Although designer pearl farming is a relatively new yet promising industry in Bangladesh, it is nonetheless, very popular in our neighbouring country India. The entrepreneurs believe the designer pearls will become popular in the local market too, as they enhance the beauty of jewellery.
Pearl can be harvested from oysters once a year. They expect to sell Tk two lakh worth of pearls collected from the oysters in the pond soon.
According to the farmers, they use natural cultivation methods which they learned from watching YouTube videos. As pearl cultivation is relatively less labour inducive, many locals are also becoming interested in this trade.
The local fisheries department is advising the farmers to further expand this farming system.
Md Jihad Hasan, one of the pearl farmers, said, “We took the initiative after watching videos of it. After testing the soil and pond water, we first bought 1,000 oysters and started pearl farming.”
He added that they expect to earn Tk two lakh from their first harvest with a production cost of Tk 65,000.
Cultivation process
Plastic nuclei or image pearls are placed inside live oysters. It is then placed in a basket and kept at a certain depth of water. After a certain period of care, a layer is formed inside the oyster and turns into a shiny pearl. This process takes 9 to 12 months to complete.
Also, after 15 days, urea, potash, Di-ammonium Phosphate and mustard cake have to be sprinkled in the pond to prepare natural food for oysters. It is also necessary to test the water and soil of the pond regularly.
Other than care and close observation, there is no additional labour required in pearl cultivation. The two cousins claim they can easily handle all the tasks by themselves as their initiative is still on a smaller scale.
Many others have expressed their desire to cultivate pearls after learning about them from Jahid and Jihad.
Local youths Noman, Abdur Rahman and Nurunnabi said, they had previously never seen the process of pearl cultivation. They expressed their interest in the trade citing Jahid and Jihad’s success.
Chairman of Medua Union Manjur Alam said, “I expect that more entrepreneurs will come forward to invest in pearl farming like Jahid and Jihad and will play a role in the economic development of the area.”
Daulatkhan Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Mahfuz Hasnain said, “I visited the farm after receiving news of designer pearl cultivation. We are ready to provide all kinds of assistance to expand pearl farming. I think the number of pearl farmers will also increase day by day.”
