DHAKA, May 30, 2024 (BSS) - Now a successful woman entrepreneur, forty-two-year-old Rahela of Ghior Sadar upazila in Manikganj district, had to face extreme economic hardship in the past. Kabir, her rickshaw puller husband, was the sole breadwinner in the family.

Rahela became helpless after the sudden demise of her husband. Her husband Kabir was a rickshaw puller. They used to live at Baliakhora village under Ghior Sadar upazila in Manikganj.

They have three children--two daughters and a son. They were happy and passing their life peacefully. But, an accident destroys their happiness. One day, Kabir was killed in a fatal road accident and the full family just became helpless.

After some days, Rahela decided to do something for livelihood. She started to cultivate lemon plants on their land in 2014. And now, she is a woman entrepreneur and a successful businesswoman.

The cultivation of lemon has brought smiles on the faces of more than three hundred families like Rahela of Baliakhora village under Baliakhora union of Ghior upazila in the district.

Now a good number of lemon traders are visiting the village regularly to buy lemon from the cultivators and supplying those to the different parts of the country.

Lemon is cultivated commercially in some parts of the district. Ghior upazila is one of the special areas where lemon is cultivated abundantly. It is one of the main cash crops in the area. Each and every house has at least one lemon garden. Most of the housewives of the village are engaged in nursing the lemon plants and collecting the lemon from their gardens.

Rahela said she has been cultivating lemon in three bighas of land for more last five years.

Sometimes she has to count huge losses if the lemon market falls, but now she and other lemon cultivators are very happy to get the maximum price.

Rahela said normally a big size of lemon is sold at Taka 2 to Taka 3 and middle size lemon is sold at Taka 1.5 to Taka 2. But a big size lemon is being sold at Taka 10 to Taka 12 and a middle size lemon is sold at Taka 3 to Taka 4 adding that it has a great demand in the markets.

Rahim Mian, 55, another lemon cultivator of the same upazila said he has two bighas of land and he cultivates lemon regularly on his land and it is the only source of his income. Most of the people of the village have at least one lemon garden and some of them more than one.

Shamsuddin, a middle-aged primary school teacher of the village, said, "Now our village is known as Lemon Village."

In the morning, a group of lemon traders regularly visit the village in search of lemon. So, there is no problem selling the lemon. Even a housewife can sell her products from her door steps.

Ghior upazila agriculture officer Sheikh Shimul Hossain said the people of Baliakhora and Shodghata become self-reliant cultivating lemon as it has a great demand round the year.