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Peanut cultivation makes
Alauddin’s life bright
Mahfuz Alam . Pabna

ONCE jobless, educated youth Alauddin is now well-off by cultivating peanut.
   He earns up to Tk 3.5 lakh a year from peanut on 20 acres of char land near the River Padma in Pabna. He has been growing the crop for the last five years.
   Eldest son of the family, Alauddin now maintains his old parents and six brothers and sisters. His success is a topic of discussion for many in Pabna.
   According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, the farmers have cultivated peanut on 23,672 acres of land against the target of 19,505 acres due to favourable weather this year. Last year, 13,232 tonnes of peanut was produced by cultivating 17,870 acres of land in nine upazilas of the district.
   Alauddin, now 25, son of Nazim Uddin Sheikh of village Natun Gohailbari of Chartarapur union under sadar upazila, had passed HSC examination in 1999.
   As usual for a poor family, he had to stop studies and look for job. He spent about one year in search of a job. By this time, his younger brothers Atiar Rahman and Matiar Rahman had stopped going to school, he said. Finding no job to subsidies the family income, he decided to take to farming, Alauddin told New Age.
   One day, Alauddin came in contact with local DAE officials. Knowing his interest in farming, they encouraged him to cultivate peanuts in fertile alluvial char lands and assured him assistance.
   Alauddin cultivated nuts on one acre of family land of char area in the Padma in 1999 and earned about Tk 14,000. Being inspired, Alauddin leased more land.
   ‘Next year I earned about Tk 28,000, which was beyond my imagination.
   ‘I invested Tk 20,000 to lease more land and cultivate peanuts.
   ‘Now I grow peanuts on 20 acres round the year and employ at last 10 people to help me. Managing crops on 20 acres is a gigantic task, specially during sowing and harvesting,’ he said.
   Peanuts can be grown three times a year. Alauddin produces 1,000 to 1,200 maunds (one maund equals to 37.3242kg) of peanut in a year, Alauddin said.
   ‘My sale proceeds vary from Tk 2 lakh to Tk 2.5 lakh in a year because of prices fluctuation,’ he said.
   ‘My younger brother Matiar passed SSC examination last year,’ a proud Alauddin said.
   He said he had marketing problems at the beginning. ‘Now traders come to my house and by nuts,’ a smiling Alauddin said.
   The educated farmer now thinks to rotate crops. With the assistance of DAE officials, he is now examining the possibility of growing other crops including potato.
   DAE officials’ initiatives have brought slimes on many faces in the village. Like Alauddin, Mokim, Amir, Rana, Masud, Hydar and Mohabbat now cultivate peanuts commercially.

11 die in road mishaps
Home Desk

AT LEAST 11 persons were killed and 84 injured in separate road accidents in five districts on Saturday.
   Comilla correspondent of New Age said four persons were killed and eight injured in separate accidents Saturday night.
   Two persons were killed and four injured on Comilla-Chandpur road at Lalmai near Bangladesh Bater Centre under Sadar Dakshin upazila when a bus collided head-on with a tempo. Identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.
   In another accident, an unidentified man was killed and four were injured on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at Noyur under Daudkandi upazila when a minibus collided head-on with a three-wheeler.
   In the third accident, Ramiza Khatun, 50, of Horipur died on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at Raipur under Daudkandi upazila when a bus hit her. She was crossing the road.
   Yet in another accident, an unidentified man was crushed under the wheels of a bus at Barura Bazar road under Barura upazila on Saturday night. After the accident agitated people put up barricade on the road for half an hour.
   In Gazipur, according to a UNB report, three persons were killed and 20 injured as a bus overturned on Dhaka-Mymensingh road Saturday noon.
   A bus carrying the victims fell flat on the road after hitting an electric pole at Hotapara, killing an unidentified man on the spot.
   Tahmina Begum, 35, wife of Jessore civil surgeon, and another unidentified man died on the way to hospital.
   The Sylhet correspondent of New Age adds: A man was killed and at least 56 were injured on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway at Tajpur of Osmani Nagar in Sylhet early Saturday.
   The deceased was Shahriar, 25, of Gaibandha. The injured were sent to Osmani Medical College Hospital.
   The accident took place when a Sylhet-bound bus coming from Kurigram bumped against the gate of the Tajpur Degree College and fell into a roadside ditch. One of the passengers died on the spot.
   The Netrakona correspondent said a man was killed on Netrakona-Mymensingh road at Sakua Bazar under sadar upazila when a bus hit a rickshaw from behind. Rickshaw passenger Abdul Matin of Baragara died on the spot.
   Another UNB report from Jhenaidah adds: A motorcyclist was killed on Jhenaidah-Kushtia road at Sreerampur Bazar under Sailkupa upazila.
   Naresh Biswas, 45, of Sheikhpara under the same upazila died on the spot as a truck hit his vehicle from behind.
   Naresh, a village doctor, was going to his private chamber at Harinarayanpur Bazar in Kushtia.

Sid Law Textile Mills resumes operation
Our Correspondent . Jessore

SID Law Textile Mills Limited at Nawapara Industrial Town in Jessore came back into operation on Saturday as its staff returned to work.
   The factory authorities on Thursday withdrew the lay-off declared at about 9:00am on Tuesday in the face of a labour unrest over firing a female worker.
   The angry workers had kept the factory officials confined to the factory compound since Monday night to Tuesday evening. They also cut the electric and water supply to the plant.
   Workers alleged the factory authorities sacked Parul on Monday without any reason. The authorities had fired another worker, Shahnaz, a few days ago. Workers said such steps were tantamount to repression of them.
   The state-owned Purbanchal Jute Mills Limited was privatised in 1997 and renamed Sid Law Textile Mills Limited. It has been a profitable concern since then.

Tk 5 lakh toll demanded from
physician in C’nawabganj
Our Correspondent . Chapainawabganj

AN UNIDENTIFIED caller demanded Tk 5 lack as toll from a physician of Chapainawabganj General Hospital on Saturday.
   Identifying himself as a member of an extremist party, he demanded the toll from Dr Shafiqul Islam of the hospital over mobile phone at about noon, the police said.
   He also gave death threat to Shafiqul and his family members unless the said amount is paid to him, the police added.
   A general diary was lodged with the sadar police station.

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