In Barguna's Amtali upazila, lies a meticulously laid-out dragon fruit plantation, surrounded by many other fruit trees such as guava, mango, and more.

Rows of dragon fruit plants thrive in plastic drums on a cement base across the 2.5-acre plantation.

Besides, there is a pond in the middle where different fish are being farmed including tilapia, rohu and catla.

One Elias Hossain works alone in the plantation. The youth greeted this correspondent with a smile when he visited the place recently.

The 32-year-old is now earning Tk 10-12 lakh annually from this initiative.

The path to this success, however, was not smooth.

After his graduation, Elias went to Kuwait in 2012 spending Tk 5 lakh. But he had to return home empty-handed in 2017 due to various reasons, and remained unemployed for two more years.

However, he did not lose hope. After watching videos on dragon fruit cultivation on YouTube, Elias decided to try his luck in it. In 2019, he leased 33 decimals of land near his home for Tk 5,000 and started dragon fruit cultivation with 100 saplings, alongside several other fruits including guava and mango around the plantation.

The harvest after the first year earned him a profit, which inspired him to expand his plantation.

At present, there are 2,000 dragon fruit plants in the plantation. The orchard of mango, guava and other fruits has also grown in size and production.

"I do not use any chemicals. So far I have spent Tk 30 lakh. Now my annual income from the cultivation is Tk 10-12 lakh," said Elias.

"Fruit traders from surrounding areas including Amtali, Barguna, Kalapara, Patuakhali buy fruits from my garden," he added.

Former deputy commissioner of Barguna Habibur Rahman and UNO of Amtali Md Ashraful Alam visited his plantation along with officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension.

"Elias' initiative is an exemplary one. There is a high demand for dragon fruit in the market, and many are cultivating it watching his success. We have often provided him with support and advice regarding his initiative," said Md Icha, agriculture officer in Amtali upazila.