MONJURUL HAQUE

A radical change has transformed the lives of people in Rathura, Sankatpur, Demra, Fetalia and Nashera villages of Gazipur’s Kaliganj upazila.

For the past 15 years, residents have been cultivating coriander leaves, which have become their main source of livelihood and created employment for thousands. The leaves are sold in areas such as Jatrabari and Karwan Bazar in Dhaka, and are also exported abroad.

According to the Kaliganj Upazila Agriculture Office, coriander was cultivated on one hectare of land in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

During a visit to Rathura, mostly women were seen working in coriander fields. Many were collecting leaves or cleaning them. The leaves are tied with ropes made from banana bark, arranged in bamboo cages, weighed and carried to markets.

Several women said their families once struggled with poverty but now earn Tk 400 to Tk 450 daily from the work.

Kumud Rani Das, 50, said, “I cultivated one bigha of land, spending Tk 12,000 on 5kg of seeds. If the yield is good, I can earn about Tk 5 lakh after expenses.”

Paritosh Chandra Sarkar, 60, said earnings from coriander cultivation cover his children’s education costs.

Haridas, 55, said over a hundred families cultivate coriander leaves, with four to five people working per family, greatly reducing unemployment in the village.

Wholesaler Shah Alam Bashar said he buys the leaves from these villages and sells them at high prices in Jatrabari and Dhaka markets.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Farzana Taslim said, “Coriander leaves are profitable and less prone to diseases. Cultivation, which started in 2007, has become a driving force of the area’s economy and is increasing rapidly for commercial sale.”

She said in 2025, two exhibitions and training programmes were implemented under the improved varieties and technology extension project. Farmers will receive fertilisers and seeds at no cost under these initiatives.