Himu's Window

Agriculture is rarely rewarding when unpredictable weather, pests and diseases often make farming a gamble. But agricultural entrepreneur Shafiqul Islam of Rajshahi’s Bagha upazila defied the odds thanks to a modern farming technology: Polynet house. Leveraging a government project for promoting polynet houses, Islam decided to cultivate mainly capsicum in July last year. He was paid off handsomely as his premium crop found a ready market among foreigners in the region and high-end restaurants. In just the last two months of this year, he earned triple his investment while his harvest will continue till April fetching more. “Polynet house has made all the differences, my harvests exceeded all expectations,” says Shafiqul Islam. “Without its protection, growing high-quality capsicum would be almost impossible. I required less pest control and irrigation initiatives.” Islam is one of a total of 81 agricultural entrepreneurs across eight districts of the Rajshahi division who benefitted f...