Two highly educated brothers in Gopalganj have drawn attention in their locality by cultivating jujube along the banks of a fish enclosure instead of pursuing jobs. By planting around 1,400 jujube trees, they expect to earn between Tk 5 lakh and Tk 7 lakh in profit during a single season after recovering production costs.
Probir Biswas and Apurba Biswas are residents of Bhennabari village in Sadar upazila of Gopalganj. About five to six years ago, they began cultivating different types of fruits on their ancestral land. At the beginning of the cultivation, they suffered heavy losses due to natural disasters.
Undeterred, the two later decided to focus on jujube cultivation. After learning techniques from YouTube and collecting improved saplings from Chuadanga, they planted about 1,400 jujube trees along the banks of their fish enclosure.
Their orchard now features several popular varieties, including Bharat Sundari, Kashmiri Apple, Bol Sundari, and Thai Apple jujube. Thanks to favourable weather conditions, the trees have produced a bumper harvest this season, with branches heavily laden with fruit.
The brothers have already started selling their produce. They expect to continue sales for about another month. Early in the season, they sold jujube at Tk 200 per kilogram, while the current market price stands at around Tk 100 per kilogram.
Probir and Apurba said they personally supervise the orchard and sort the harvested fruit before selling it in the market. The jujubes are in high demand locally, and wholesalers often come to their farm or home to purchase them.
Labourers assist with orchard maintenance and harvesting, while other members of their family also help in the cultivation process.
Dr Mamunur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Gopalganj, said jujube cultivation has become increasingly profitable and many farmers are showing interest in it. The department provides training and technical guidance to support growers.
He added that jujube has been cultivated on about 90 hectares of land in the district during the current season. With proper planning and management, he said, jujube farming can help farmers achieve economic self-reliance while also contributing to nutritional needs.
