Rezaul Islam, a young nursery owner from Notun Chuliar Char in Kurigram, is cultivating cardamom—a spice that is rarely grown in Bangladesh. Photo: BSS

By Md Mamun Islam 

RANGPUR, May 5, 2025 (BSS) - In a remote char village of Kurigram, an exotic spice crop has turned into a tool of transformation. Rezaul Islam, a young nursery owner from Notun Chuliar Char in Roumari upazila of the district, has changed his fortune by cultivating cardamom -- a spice rarely grown in Bangladesh. 

Rezaul established his nursery `Swapna Joy' on 24 decimals of land, where he produces cardamom, mostly large-sized black ones and cardamom seedlings. 

He sells large-sized cardamom for Tk 3,500 to Tk 3,600 per kg, while seedlings are priced between Tk 500 and Tk 1,200 each, depending on quality and maturity.

"Each tree yields at least 35-50 pieces of ripe cardamom. I dry them for marketing," Rezaul told BSS.  

Rezaul's journey began at the 'Biswa Ijtema' held in Tongi, Dhaka in 2010, when he met Sri Lankan citizen Mohammad Abdur Rahman, who became self-sufficient by cultivating cardamom. 

"Inspired by the success of Abdur Rahman, I requested him to bring cardamom seedlings and seeds from Sri Lanka. He brought me two seedlings and a few seeds when he came to the 'Biswa Ijtema' the following year," Rezaul said.

He started his cardamom farming project in 2011 to realise his dream. For the first three years, there was no yield. But Rezaul did not give up. From 2014, the trees began to produce, and today, over 2,200 trees are bearing fruit. 

Cardamom thrives in medium-high land with shade - conditions rare in the char areas of Roumari. Due to lack of suitable land, Rezaul faces challenges in expanding cultivation despite the crop's potential.

Still, his efforts have made an impact. In the last year alone, he sold 500 seedlings and currently maintains 2,000 saplings in his nursery. 

Rezaul's success inspired many of his fellow farmers. Mohammad Abdul Awal, a resident of the same village, bought 10 cardamom saplings from Rezaul's nursery and planted those on his homestead in 2018. 

"The trees have grown well and the number of trees has increased too. I have been getting production from 2020. I don't need to buy cardamom from the market anymore," Awal said.

Like Awal, Dulal Hossain and Ziaur Rahman of nearby village Banchhar Char and Islam Uddin of village Kheoyar Char in the same upazila have also been cultivating cardamom on their homesteads to meet their own demand. 

Rezaul's wife, Morjina Akhter, 33, said they have not been buying large-sized cardamom and small-sized cardamom since 2014. 
 
"We are using the cardamom produced in our own nursery mixed with other spices, while cooking and selling the excess produce to earn a better profit," she added.
 
The couple is leading a solvent and happy life with their only daughter Ruma Moni, 12, a seventh grader and only son Hridoy, 6, (nursery student).
 
Md. Abdullah Alam Mamun, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Kurigram, has expressed interest in the initiative.

"I plan to visit the Swapno Joy nursery soon. Based on land availability and feasibility, we'll take steps to promote cardamom cultivation," he told BSS.

Rezaul believes wider adoption of cardamom farming could reduce dependence on imports and save the country millions in foreign exchange.

"If we support this crop nationwide, Bangladesh can become self-sufficient in cardamom," he said.