Starting his agricultural journey with a dream of doing something different, young entrepreneur Khaled Hasan Rifat first cultivated guava, malta, dragon fruit and Chinese oranges. He later turned his attention to a lesser-known fruit with commercial potential — Anarkali, commonly known as passion fruit.
Rifat, from Cox’s Bazar, has established the seven-acre ‘Shopnochura Agro Nursery’ with his father in Bhaditala village of Eidgaon. The nursery produces saplings of six varieties of Anarkali, which are now being supplied to all 64 districts of Bangladesh and, according to Rifat, even to buyers abroad.
The nursery has become the centre of Rifat’s plans to expand commercial cultivation of the fruit. Besides growing Anarkali, he produces improved saplings and promotes commercial cultivation in different parts of the country. More than 100 nursery owners across Bangladesh have already become involved in Anarkali cultivation through his initiative, he said.
Locally known as Anargula, the fruit is also called Anarkali or passion fruit, while some people know it as tang fruit. Its juicy, sweet and tangy flavour and nutritional value have helped increase interest in its cultivation.
Once commonly found growing unattended in hilly and plain areas, the fruit had little commercial recognition. Rifat has been working to change that by expanding its cultivation and producing saplings for farmers and nursery owners.
He began his agricultural enterprise in 2019 with guava, malta, dragon fruit and Chinese oranges. His experience with different fruit crops and interest in new varieties eventually led him to Anarkali. As he gradually identified its market potential, he expanded cultivation and sapling production at his nursery. He now supplies saplings of six varieties commercially.
Rifat believes Anarkali could become a profitable crop because it requires relatively simple care, produces fruit quickly, and has growing market demand. Farmers and nursery owners from different parts of the country regularly collect saplings from his nursery, he said, adding that his saplings and fruit are also being sent abroad.
He plans to expand the initiative further and establish Anarkali not merely as a familiar fruit but as a commercial agricultural product. Alongside sapling production, he is focusing on encouraging farmers to take up the crop and improving opportunities for marketing the fruit after harvest.
Agriculture-related stakeholders say young entrepreneurs such as Rifat can help diversify the country’s agricultural sector by exploring the commercial potential of new crops. With planned cultivation, quality sapling production and better market linkages, Anarkali could potentially meet domestic demand and eventually emerge as an export-oriented agricultural product.
Once largely left to grow in the wild, Anarkali is now being promoted by Rifat as a promising commercial crop. From his seven-acre Shopnochura Agro Nursery, his initiative is gradually reaching farmers and nursery owners nationwide.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Courtesy
