A group of five educated unemployed youths have found the path of becoming self-reliant through establishing orchards of non-conventional but high-value fruits and crops in the region, particularly in its drought-prone Barind area in Bangladesh.

Hassan Ali, 27, one of them, said they are dreaming of attaining economic emancipation through the venture as they are getting yields of some of the transplanted trees, reports BSS.

Under the project, 900 coffee, 80 avocado, 120 Taiwanese green mango and 125 Saudi date trees were planted.

In the meantime, productions of coffee, avocado and Taiwanese green mango have been started.

"We are expecting to get yields of Saudi date within the next few days," Hassan Ali said, adding that they initiated the venture with financial support worth Taka 7.5 lakh received from Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) in the initial stage.

He also expected that the venture will give them returns worth around Taka 30 lakh every year when the production will start in full-swing within the next couple of years.

Sohel Rana, 35, another entrepreneur of the upazila headquarter, has become an icon in the field of producing high-valued and nutritious fruit and crops in the region.

Post-graduated from the department of statistics in Rajshahi University, he had developed 'Rupgram Agro Farm' on 12 bigha of his paternal land at Rupgram village launching an integrated agriculture farm in 2015.

Afterwards in 2018, Rana took lease of 70 bigha of land and developed a modern agriculture farm named "Barendra Agro Park" on the land.

He has been producing varieties of non-conventional but high-valued fruits and crops in safe and hygienic manner through following the 'global good agriculture practice' since the initial stage.

"I have been exporting my products in eight countries of Europe and the Middle east for the last two years," he added with a smiling face.

Sohel Rana said he received technical and input support from a project titled "Popularizing of High Valued Unconventional Fruit and Medicinal Crop in the Barind Area".

He has been producing fruits and crops on around 50 acres of land successfully giving employment to around 50 people. He has varieties of high-valued fruits and crops, including Saudi date, avocado, persimmon, dragon, alu bukhara, coffee, mulberry, asparagus, aloe vera, malta and kaju badam, at present.

Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), the ever-largest irrigation providing state-owned entity in the country's northwest region, has been implementing the project since early last year.

Project Director ATM Rafiqul Islam said as successful agriculture entrepreneur Sohel Rana has earned the National Youth Award by the President in 2021 as recognition to his laudable contribution to this field.

Like Sohel Rana, many other youths have become successful agriculture entrepreneurs through boosting high-valued fruits and vegetables contributing to the society and the nation as well in multifarious ways.

Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan