There has been a revolution in Agriculture at the Barind region of Rajshahi. Once a dry and dreary region of the country, the Barind region is now being regarded as an essential 'bread basket' of the country. Farmers of the Barind region are now adopting the modern method of technology and the land behind the mango orchards which remained fallow for thousands years, is now used for growing vegetables and edible creepers round the year. Sultanul Arefin of Dhamila village under Godagari upazila is growing bottle-gourd( Lau) on three and a half bighas of fallow lands behind the mango orchards. It is an enchanting scene to watch hundreds of green and matured laus are swinging at the trellis or platform made of bamboo and dried tree branches.
Sultanul Arefin, a former banker, informed to produce safe, nourishing and fresh fruits and vegetables and to supply those to people, he left the job of Senior Cashier of AB Bank and started to produce mango, guava, lemon, malta and various vegetables on his 30-bigha of land. Some two-year ago, she started to produce various safe, fresh vegetables including Brinjal,Chilli, Ole and Lau inside fallow land inside mango orchards which has proven successful to feed his family and sell those to his neighbours.
Already he vegetables traders from Kawran Bazar in Dhaka are purchasing vegetables like Lau from his field and carrying those through trucks. By watching his effort, other farmers of the neighbouring villages have started to produce Lau, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brinjal, Patol, Onion and other vegetables in their fallow land behind the mango orchards. Like him, Monirul Islam of Dhamila village and Sahab Uddin of Palpur village have also stated to cultivate vegetable inside their fallow land behind the mango orchards. Atanu Sarker, Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer of Godagari upazila in this connection said many people of the upazila have started to use fallow land below the mango orchard to produce varieties of vegetables and fruits. Such a system of using fallow land is ensuring the best use of the land in the upazila.