DHAKA, March 25, 2025 (BSS) - Forty-seven-year-old Naima Islam is no more poor now. She changed her lot cultivating banana, overcoming the curse of poverty. She now appeared to be successful entrepreneur, posing herself an idol to the village women.  

But, her financial condition was not well even three years ago. She used to live with her day labourer husband at Ramchandrapur village under Sutalori union of Harirampur upazila in Manikganj district as she had to endure a lot of problems to maintain the family expense.

Even the education of her three children was stopped for their poverty. But now, she defeated all problems.
 
Naima said, "I planted three hundred local variety of banana plant on 100 decimal of land three years ago."
 
After getting good return, she further planted 500 saplings of different kinds of banana including Sabri and Kobri in 2015. 
                                                                    In 2016, Naima also planted about 1000 banana saplings and this year she planted two thousand saplings on five bighas of land. 

She is expecting that he would earn about Taka one lakh beyond production cost.
 
Bumper productions of banana and fair price have brought smiles on the faces of growers Like Naima in the three upazilas of the district.
 
Around 5,000 farmers of Harirampur, Daulatpur and Ghior upazilas have changed their life cultivating banana on their land. Most of the char land areas of the upazilas are suitable for cultivating banana, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials said.
 
Once the river eroded people of those areas had to lead a measurable life. But now about five thousand farmers are earning huge profit from banana farming.
 
Followed Naima, hundreds of poor cultivators of Haluaghat, Mehendipur, Notakhola, Harihordia and Harirampur char areas started banana cultivation and they are happy to get good production and reasonable price.
 
Housewives Aftalun Begum of Basantapur, Khurshida of Patgram, Rahela of Harihardia and Sultana Parvin of Notakhola village also started banana cultivation to eliminate their poverty. The farmers of the char areas collect banana saplings from Jhitka, Faridpur and Manikganj.
 
Momtaz Begum, 50, one of the marginal farmers of Jamuna Char area of Daulatpur upazila, cultivated banana on 90 decimal of land last year and earned Taka 70 thousand. This year, she brought more 50 decimal land under banana cultivation.
  
Habiba, Monwara and Rahela of the same area said they are being benefited cultivating banana in their sandy lands which remained barren for long time.
 
Ontora, another woman farmer of Bhatarakandi village under Ghior upazila, said she lost her cultivable lands including home with the erosion of the Dhaleshwari river four years ago. 
 
After two years, her land raised and it was totally sandy. On the sandy land, Ontora planted 100 saplings of banana last year and earned Taka 40 thousand. This year she cultivated banana on two bighas of land and is expecting good production.
 
The local agriculture offices and some NGOs are providing technical support holding discussion and exchanging views among the farmers and giving training on cultivation of other crops like bitter gourd, sweet pumpkin and cucumber on the same land at the same time.