Pearl farming on rooftop: A college student's success story
A college student from Ektarpur village of Jashore's Abhaynagar upazila has been successfully cultivating pearls on the rooftop of his house.
Abdur Rahman was first intrigued by pearl farming during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. He came across a YouTube video about pearl cultivation that made him consider doing it himself.
Further exploring the possibilities, he visited pearl farms in Naogaon, Mymensingh, Chandpur, and Jhenaidah the same year. He met the farmers and tried to learn from them during his visits.
In November 2021, he started his cultivation on an experimental basis with a few oysters in a pond at his house. After his experiment succeeded, he moved on to 500 oysters in a water tank on the house's roof.
The 24-year-old now makes a profit of Tk 30,000 per month from pearl farming and has alleviated his family's economic struggles. He supplies round and designed pearls to several reputed businesses in the country.
"I hope to start soon making a larger profit from pearl culture," he said.
He has three employees to help with the cultivation, whom he pays Tk 20,000 per month.
Abdur Rahman is currently a second-year student at Nawapara Government College.
"I have supported my son's exceptional activities from the beginning. Now we are enjoying its benefits," his father Kabir Hossain, a former rice mill worker, said.
Abdur has established the AR Agro Farming, where he also provides training to 15 people a month. He earns an extra Tk 15,000 per month from his training sessions.
Around three months back, the young pearl farmer added to his venture by beginning to cultivate aquarium fishes. He soon hopes to make profits from selling these fishes as well.
"Pearl farming on the rooftop has immense potential, especially for the youth," he said, adding that with government assistance, farmers like him can also export good quality pearls.
An inspiration and pride of the village, the entrepreneur hosts many visitors daily, who come to see his ventures.
One such visitor, Aminur Rahman came to see the project from Khulna Daulatpur.
"There is a great opportunity for the unemployed youth to become self-reliant by using this method," he said.
Abhaynagar Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Ripon Kumar Ghosh said, "We expect entrepreneurs to be innovative and create new jobs. The Upazila Fisheries Office will provide technical support and advice to those who are interested."
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