Lemon farming has changed the life of a Tangail farmer

To make a living he did almost everything -- worked as a housekeeper at people's homes; was a shepherd for a long time, and sold different products on the roads as a 'feriwala' (hawker). This man has turned everything around. Finally, he has gained success with hard work, sincerity, honesty and struggle. His stories teach people to move onward.

This man, a successful farmer, Moslem Uddin, now owns six acres of lemon orchard. He took lease of a barren land three years back. You would be amazed to learn that this year he has earned Tk 10 lakh from this orchard.  Now, Moslem Uddin is the most successful lemon farmer of Sakhipur's Dakkhinpara in Tangail district.

"I was trying hard to come out of poverty. I had to win over it," said Moslem.

It was really interesting to learn how he actually came out of poverty, a curse to humanity.

"I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I used to watch the TV programmes on farming, specially your ones. You inspired me to become who I am now," said a beaming Moslem.

I also felt great that my programmes had an impact on this simple yet incredible farmer who changed his fate on his own. Moslem gradually started building his dreams with clear insight and vision. And, that's why he stands somewhere where nobody else does.

When Moslem took the lease of the barren land, many had teased him. He didn't care about the critics. He gave his full efforts and labour to the orchard for years, and now there are thousands of lemons, indicating a good earning at the end of the harvest. The most encouraging part is that he could do it on barren land.

There is a watch tower to monitor the lemon trees from the top. In leisure time, Moslem gets on top of it to see his dreams spread all over the six acres of dreamland. He does almost everything in the orchard himself.

He has around 6,000 lemon trees in the orchard. Each tree gives him 1,000 lemons on an average, in a year; which means, he gets six million lemons from this orchard.

"I have earned a profit of Tk 10 lakh this year, and next season, if everything goes well, I can make it Tk 30 lakh," Moslem said confidently.

"And in a decade, I hope to earn Tk 3 crore," he added.

The key to the bountiful production in the orchard is the proper use of organic fertiliser. Most interesting and innovative part is the irrigation system Moslem is using in his orchard. All the water pipes are rightly placed around the orchard at the root of the trees with individual switches for each and every tree in the orchard. This is what I had seen in the Gulf country, Qatar, at Al Sulaiteen Farm. 

Most of the lemon varieties in the orchard are seedless, which are sold around the country. However, Moslem eagerly looks forward to exporting the lemons. That's why he has built another orchard for 'Colombo' variety, which has high demand in the export market. 

 Shafiqul Islam, one of the fifteen day-labourers at Moslem's orchard, is pretty happy working here.

"Moslem bhai is my icon. One day, I want to be a successful lemon farmer like him. I want to have an orchard of my own," said Shafiqul. It clearly means Moslem is now an inspirational man throughout the region.

"I love to spend my time here, to see what my son has done so successfully," said Joynuddin, the proud father of Moslem.

"We're extremely happy that Moslem has not only brought success for himself but also that he's been inspiring many others," said Fayzul Islam, upazila agriculture officer of Sakhipur.

Dear readers, now lemon has become a cash crop for Bangladesh. It has great export prospect. Once Sylhet was regarded as the most significant region for lemon farming. However, it is now spread all over Narsingdi, Mymensingh and in many other regions of the country. Moslem Uddin is truly a pioneer. Lemon has changed his fate and gave him a much better livelihood. From a hawker he's now a successful agricultural entrepreneur. I believe his success will be followed across Bangladesh. And, I'll be meeting so many successful lemon farmers in the coming days because Moslem has showed them the dream to become realistically successful.