Obaidul Islam Rubel, in his mid-30s, did not achieve his success in Saudi date farming overnight. He had to work hard towards his lofty dream as he was discouraged by all – neighbours, relatives and friends. "Everybody, except my father, discouraged me saying Saudi dates are unlikely to be produced in Bangladesh’s soil, and that hurt me badly,” said Rubel, a resident of Bherendi village in Nachole upazila Chapainawabganj district. Read Alt. Farming: How women in Kurigram augment their households' income Firm to chase his dream, the young man defeated the negativity by successfully growing Saudi dates in Bangladesh soil.  Rubel’s amazing success not only changed his fortune but also made him popular in his home district. Rubel said he had been helping his poor father cultivate crops since he completed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in 2007 as he had no job. One fine morning, Rubel said, he decided to try his luck by cultivating the dates which are actually grown in the Middle East. Read Duck farming transforms fates for Kurigram’s unemployed youth Rubel started searching articles and videos on date farming in the Internet, particularly the Saudi ones, and shared his idea with his father. His father promised to help him in every way. Later, he started collecting date seeds from his relatives living in Saudi Arabia. In 2017, Rubel brought 1.5 bighas of land under date palm cultivation with 830 saplings. “Eighteen months after the plantation, date flowers started blooming and I felt like winning a war,” Rubel recalled. Read Bumper beans harvest and good price bring delight to Magura farmers

Bumper production of early winter vegetable beans and its fair price have brought delight for the farmers in Sadar upazila of Magura district. According to the District Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the soil and weather of Magura is more favourable for bean cultivation and as it is more profitable than other winter vegetables, most of the farmers have been involved in its cultivation. Read Farmers in Faridpur relying on Fatema's dhan for good yield This year the DAE has set a target to cultivate bean on 280 hectres of land in Magura and already 350 hectares of land have been brought under bean cultivation, said sources at DAE. The growers have been successful in cultivating two new varieties of bean – Rupban and IPSA—in their lands which brought good luck for them. The farmers have planted bean seeds at the end of Bangla month Joishtha. Generally, bean flowers blossom within 35-40 days of cultivation provided the weather remains favourable. Also read: Bumper bean yield brings smiles to Faridpur farmers