Inspired by YouTube, 185 orange trees on 65 decimals; Tk 3-4 lakh of oranges sold in two and a half years

A returned migrant from Bijoynagar upazila in Brahmanbaria came home for good at the end of 2019 after about 19 years in Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Dubai. After seeing a Chuadanga farmer's orange orchard on YouTube he went there to look around, and bought 200 saplings at Tk 175 each, costing Tk 35,000. He leased 65 decimals from a relative for 16 years at Tk 1 lakh and began farming. Villagers had said oranges would not grow here, or would be sour, and mocked him. When the trees flowered lightly in the first year he removed the flowers on a farmer's advice. Within two and a half years 185 trees survived and bore fruit. Now every Friday and Saturday 150 to 200 kg of oranges sell at the orchard for Tk 170 a kg. More than Tk 4 lakh has gone into the orchard, Tk 3-4 lakh of oranges has been sold so far, and he hopes to sell another Tk 1 to 1.5 lakh. Each tree has so far yielded 42 to 50 kg, and he says costs will not be high next year. The variety is Chinese, small but quite sweet. The upazila agriculture officer says he is the first in the district to succeed with oranges.