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DHAKA, Jan 15, 2025 (BSS)- Rani Day fell into a deep crisis after she divorced her husband one year ago. Her husband was a drug addict and he used to spend almost all money for drug addiction, leaving his entire family into a financial crisis. For this, there was regular dispute in her family.

One day Rani decided to give divorce her husband. After divorce, she fell into deep crisis to run her family with three children.

She used to live at Chilahati village in Debijanj upazila of Panchagar district. After separation of her husband, she took some loan from a local NGO and started banana cultivation at her abandoned land.

After only one year, banana cultivation has brought smiles on her face. She earned Taka 30,000 per month by selling banana.

Rani said it was very difficult to run the family without any income. "I had no income source. My husband was drug addicted. His contribution was very poor to my family. Even, I was unable to educate my children. Finally, I decided to divorce my husband. But, I fell into deep crisis. My brother helps a lot after the incident."

She said, "I took it as challenge. I took some loan from an NGO and started banana cultivation. After one year I earned Taka 30,000. This year, I've a plan to cultivate in more land."

Like Rani, faces of a large number of farmers specially of women at Sonaher and Chilahati villages under Debiganj upazila of the district this year have brought smiles in faces through cultivation of banana.

The farmers of different villages of the district are now keen to develop banana orchards instead of cultivating jute and paddy.

Another woman of the same village Jaheda said, Banana cultivation is profitable and less expensive and harvesting is possible within 11 months of planting saplings.

Four hundred banana saplings need one bigha of land (33 decimal).

"I have cultivated banana on two acres of land spending Taka 60,000 and got Taka 1.5 lakh by selling bananas after meeting all expenditures," she said.

Since banana harvesting started, traders from Dhaka, Khulna and other parts of the country are swamping to this region and after buying from the orchard sent those to Dhaka and other districts of the country.

Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) of Panchagarh said with better yield and high profits in less investment the farmers now get encouraged and inclined to have more cultivation of banana.

"The land of Panchagarh is the best for banana cultivation as the land is high in comparison to other regions, the DAE DD added.

He said around 3,200 acres of land have been brought under banana cultivation in the district this season and side by side, the farmers have farmed other crops as Brinjal, red-amaranth in the banana orchard which led the farmers to make additional income among the farmers, he said.