Vegetable farming sans use of soil on the rise in Pabna

An entrepreneur in the district has created a new history in agriculture by producing quality vegetable seedlings following a new method.

Many people are now following the agriculture method of successful entrepreneur Anisur Rahman.

Different types of vegetables are arranged in plastic trays in the pollinator house. This is the most modern agricultural method of the present time. All these vegetable fields do not have any use of soil.

This is a method where vegetables are produced by mixing organic fertilisers in plastic trays and sowing seeds in coconut shells without touching the soil. This method is called 'coco-pit'.

In this method, no insects can attack vegetable production. As a result, the seedlings become healthy and strong. And using this modern agricultural technology, agricultural entrepreneur Saidur Rahman is commercially producing vegetables.

Anisur Rahman, an entrepreneur in Pabna, has earned a response in the area by adopting a new method and earning Tk 0.1 to 0.15 million (1 to 1.5 lakh) every month.

Many people of the area are getting inspired to grow vegetables in this method after seeing his method.

It is known that all disease-free vegetables have given good yields in this nursery in Mirzapur area under Dapunia union of Pabna Sadar upazila, avoiding natural disasters.

Anisur has become a successful entrepreneur who is making a lot of profit by selling vegetables from his nursery.

In the nursery, he is producing vegetables using the coco-pit method surrounded by a net around the pollinator shed.

In 2021, he became interested in agriculture when business and trade stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic. At one stage, he decided to produce good and quality seedlings himself as he had trouble buying seedlings.

Initially, he collected the necessary materials, including coconut shells and plastic trays online and produced seedlings. Initially, he had a production capacity of 3,000 seedlings, but currently his nursery has a capacity to produce three lakh seedlings.

The nursery grows 15 to 20 types of seedlings, including banana, tomato, chilli, brinjal, capsicum, broccoli, scotch, lettuce, papaya, garlic, cauliflower, carrot, garlic and sweet pumpkin.

The nursery is selling seedlings worth around Tk 0.1 to 0.15 million (1 to 1.5 lakh) every month, which meets the need of farmers in the surrounding areas. The seedlings of this nursery are reaching different parts of the country.

A farmer, Monirul Islam, who came to buy vegetable seedlings, said that good quality vegetable seedlings are available in Anisur Rahman's nursery. That is why they have come to buy seedlings from here.

Another farmer, Anwar Ali, said that farmers have not been able to collect good quality seeds for a long time. However, good quality vegetable seedlings are being cultivated here using the coco-pit method. From here, farmers can buy good quality seedlings at a low price.

Anisur Rahman, owner of the nursery, told The Financial Express, "The goal of my nursery is to produce good quality seedlings. We produce healthy, strong, high-quality animal feed using soilless coco-pit. Even if a farmer gets good seeds, he cannot produce healthy and strong seedlings, which is a very difficult task."

The entrepreneur further said, "I have been involved in agriculture for a long time. While doing agriculture, I felt that seedlings play an important role. From there, I joined this work."

Officials at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are cooperating in various ways.

"In addition, various fertilizers and pesticides are required. We are doing the first work of producing seedlings for that farmer. Farmers are also benefiting a lot here."

Jahangir Alam Pramanik, deputy director of the DAE, told The FE that this nursery is currently producing high-quality seedlings. Here, we have been providing technical advice for producing seedlings in a pollinator house through coco-pit.

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