Photo:BSS

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, Sept 2, 2025 (BSS) - Residents of the Bogerbari-2 Asrayan project in Pirganj upazila of the district have set a shining example of changing their fortunes by cultivating high-value unconventional fruits on neighboring khas land.
 
Varieties of fruit trees, including 700 cashew nut trees are growing superbly on the 5.07 acres of government Khas land alongside 800 other fruit trees on the homesteads of 20 rehabilitated families there.
 
Talking to BSS, residents at the Bogerbari-2 Asrayan project said that all of them were landless and homeless families and they had to live on lands of others in nearby areas for years amid uncertainty. 
 
Resident Anwar Hossain said officials from Rangpur Circle of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) suddenly came to Bogerbari-2 Asrayan project in 2021 to assess the possibility of tree plantation there. 
 
The organization soon planted 600 cashew nut saplings on Khas land under its 'Cashew Nut' project and 200 more saplings of mango, jackfruit, latkon, malta, lemon, litchi, guava, papaya, blackberry, olive, amalki and other fruit trees on the homesteads.
 
"The saplings were planted under the 'Cashew Nut' project, an extended programme of its 'Expansion of irrigation in greater Rangpur district through best uses of surface water and conservation of rainwater (EIR)' project," Hossain added.
 
Resident Manjur Hossain said resettled women and men there are taking care of cashew nuts and other fruit trees with love like their own children apart from daily efforts to earn a living through selling labors, pulling rickshaw-vans and other activities.
 
"The superbly growing cashew nut trees on Khas land and other fruit trees on homesteads have created pleasant scenery all-around Bogerbari-2 Asrayan project turning the whole area into a very beautiful green place with eye-catching looks," Hossain added.
 
Rehabilitated Afroza Begum said she has been getting fruits from her excellently growing varieties of ruts trees, including 32 cashew nut trees to earn a better profit by selling the very high-priced produce for the past couple of years.

"To get higher yields, I am taking care of growing trees of mango, jackfruit, 'Latkon', 'Bahera', blackberry, papaya, Malta, olive, 'Safeda', 'Chalta' planted by BMDA on my homestead like on homesteads of all other resettled residents," she said.

Tahura Begum said she has been harvesting fruits from her 21 cashew nut trees and other trees like mango, blackberry, litchi, lemon and olive and earning well for the last two seasons.
 
"I am spending the earned money from selling cashew nut and other fruits for the education of my daughter Tanya Khatun, 19, and two sons Tamim, 12, and Taskin, 10," she hoped.
 
Similarly, residents Md Kamruzzaman, Abdus Sattar, Shova Begum, Chhoymala Begum, Parul Begum and others in Bogerbari-2 Asrayan project expressed their hopes of earning well from cashew nuts and other fruit trees in the future.
 
Project Director of the EIR project and Superintending Engineer of BMDA for Rangpur Circle Md Habibur Rahman Khan said that his organisation has been expanding tree plantation and farming of varieties of fruits under the project.
 
"We took the 'Cashew Nut' farming project and planted 3,000 cashew nut saplings in four upazilas of Rangpur and Gaibandha under the EIR project area for the first time in 2021," he said. 
 
Under the programme, 600 cashew nut saplings were planted in Khas land near Bogerbari-2 Asrayan project in 2021 under the Cashew Nut farming project of the EIR project. The number of growing fruit trees is expanding every year.
 
After dividing the land with cashew nut plants into small areas, 20 resettled families were given the responsibility of taking care.
 
"We also planted saplings of a variety of fruit trees in homesteads of all 20 houses at Bogerbari-2 Asrayan project aiming at meeting nourishment of the residents alongside expanding forestation and greenery three," he said. 
 
The Asrayan dwellers are meeting nourishment and earning money from harvesting the fruits, including cashew nut, to change their fortunes alongside expanding forestation and greenery.