Wherever the eye can see, countless sour jujubes hang amid the green leaves. Inside the orchard, workers stay busy — some picking jujubes from the trees, some collecting them into baskets, others filling sacks. The fruit is then sent to Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar, Shyambazar and other wholesale markets.
Agricultural entrepreneur Moslem Uddin has built this roughly 50-acre jujube orchard along the Indarjani-Ghatail border area of Kakrajan union in Sakhipur upazila, Tangail.
He has been growing an early-maturing local variety of sour jujube for nearly a dozen years. His home is in Kirtonkhola village of the upazila’s Gajaria union.
Moslem Uddin has spent nearly 30 years in farming, with experience growing lemons, oranges and various other crops. But it was early-season sour jujube cultivation that brought him distinctive success. Through years of experience, hard work and planning, he has gradually built the orchard up to its current scale.
Marketing of the orchard’s early sour jujubes began in early August. Currently, 10 to 15 workers are employed at the orchard each day; during peak season, that number rises to 50-60, creating seasonal employment opportunities for local people. About 18 to 20 sacks of jujube, each holding roughly 60 kilograms, are supplied daily from the orchard to Karwan Bazar and Shyambazar in Dhaka. Early-season sour jujube is currently selling for 150 to 160 taka per kilogram, generating roughly 162,000 to 192,000 taka in sales each day.
Prices dip somewhat during peak season as production and supply increase. All told, Moslem Uddin says, roughly 10 million taka worth of jujube is sold in a single season.
His orchard’s sour jujubes are also in demand among various companies, particularly those that make packaged pickles and buy large quantities of the fruit. As a result, the fruit sees strong demand both in local markets and among processing companies.
Beyond his own success, Moslem Uddin has become a source of inspiration for other farmers in the area. Seeing his orchard, many farmers in the upazila have grown interested in jujube cultivation, and some have already established new orchards of their own.
Moslem Uddin said, “Unemployed young people in Bangladesh can find success growing jujube. Bangladesh’s soil is very fertile for jujube cultivation. With proper care, success in this line of work is certainly achievable.”
After growing various crops over 30 years in farming, early sour jujube has brought Moslem Uddin new recognition and success. His roughly 50-acre orchard has become not just a site of fruit production, but an example of job creation and the rise of a new generation of agricultural entrepreneurs.
Sakhipur upazila agriculture officer Niyanta Barman said, “Moslem Uddin has succeeded in commercially cultivating a local variety of sour jujube. Sakhipur’s soil is highly suitable for growing various kinds of fruit. The agriculture department’s field-level support for encouraging and assisting agricultural entrepreneurs remains ongoing.”