Nursery trade changes their lot
There are around 1,000 nurseries in urban and rural areas in Patuakhali Sadar, Galachipa, Kalapara, Bauphal, Mirzaganj and Dumki upazilas, according to Patuakhali forest division. These are supplying saplings of fruit, timber and flower plants.
Not only males but also female workers are involved in nurseries.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Lovely, 20, a poor woman of Khaserhat village under Sadar upazila has changed her life by converting her 25 decimal courtyard into a nursery four years ago.
This year, she purchaged 10 decimals of land at Tk 30,000 and leased another one bigha to expand her nursery. Her younger brother and sister had dropped out of school school due to poverty. Now they go to school.
Lovely said she left school six years ago when she was a student of class seven. Her father was a poor rickshawpuller and earned only Tk 40 to 50 a day.
ÂSometimes he even could not buy rice to feed a big family with four brothers and two sistersÂ, he said.
ÂToday I earn about Tk 50,000 from the nursery annually, which is enough to maintain the family, Lovey said. She hopes to earn around Tk one lakh annually from her expanded nursery.
She received a month-long training on nursery.
Many others in the village have been encouraged by her success.
Another nursery owner Keshob Chandra says he is making a significant contribution to developing fruit trees in the area with good and high-yielding varieties. He supplies mango saplings of Him Sagar, Langra, Gopal Bhog and Fazli Ampropali.
Selim Howlader was unemployed after passing SSC examination. He started a small nursery on 10 decimals of his courtyard in 2000. This has changed the lot of his family. He has now employed five men. This year he expanded the nursery to one acre with about two lakh fruit and timber saplings.
Selim earned Tk 60,000 last year and expects to earn Tk 1,00,000 in the coming season.