A Saudi expatriate-turned-farmer in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf has found success through commercial dragon fruit cultivation, with local residents flocking to his orchard to buy fresh, chemical-free fruit directly from the farm.
Maulvi Zafar Sadeq, a resident of Jhinapara village in Sabrang union, spent 16 years working in Saudi Arabia before returning to Bangladesh in June 2024. Instead of seeking another overseas job, he decided to pursue agriculture as his livelihood.
To realise his plan, he leased three kanis of land in Notun Pollanpara, Teknaf, for 10 years and established a commercial dragon fruit orchard, planting 3,200 saplings.
Within a few months, the plants began bearing fruit. Each plant is now producing between six and 12 dragon fruits, according to the grower.
The fruit is being sold directly from the orchard at Tk 200 per kilogramme, lower than the prevailing market price.
Zafar said he had invested around Tk 800,000 to establish the orchard and had already earned nearly Tk 300,000 from fruit sales.
“A considerable amount of fruit is still on the plants. I prefer selling directly to local consumers instead of wholesalers so that people can buy fresh, chemical-free fruit at an affordable price,” he said.
He expressed optimism that he would recover his entire investment next year and begin profiting thereafter.
Teknaf Upazila Agriculture Officer Humayun Kabir said that dragon fruit is currently cultivated on around 10 hectares of land in the upazila.
“However, Zafar Sadeq’s initiative stands out as one of the larger commercial dragon fruit farms in the area. The agriculture department is providing him with technical advice and necessary support,” he said.
Local residents said the orchard’s success has created new opportunities for fruit farming in Teknaf, inspiring many others to consider commercial dragon fruit cultivation.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Abdu Rashid Manik
