Retired police officer cultivating long and thick bamboos with success

ASP (retd) Rezaul Karim

A retired police officer in Kurigram has been cultivating heavy long and thick bamboos with success in his homestead of Kurigram district town for ten years.

Normally its length is 80 feet to 90 feet and circumference is up to 2 feet and 6 inch while local variety’s length is 45 feet to 60 feet and radius up to 11 inch. The bamboo is very hard than local Makhla and Baro Bash varieties of bamboo.

The retired police officer (ASP) Rezaul Karim, 70, son of late Panir Uddin Ahmed of Kaley village under Kurigram Sadar upazila planted three plants of the thick bamboo variety in his homestead in 2003 while he was serving as Officer-in-charge (OC) of Boda police station under Panchagore district.

Rezaul Karim said, “A former Police Super of Panchgore district requested me to collect the thick bamboo plant from a farmer of Sharial (Darjipara) village under Tetulia upazila in 2002 while I am OC of Tetulia police station. Then I also collected its three plants in March, 2003 and planted those in my dwell-house in Kurigram.”

“After being retired from my service (as ASP) in 2007, I return home and found two plants already damaged. Then I began care of the rest one which grown three plants that year. Then new plants were being grown every year and made a large cluster,” Rezaul said.

“I found the bamboo is not as usual like local variety of bamboo. Its cultivation is difficult than local varieties. I observed their new plants taste sweet. As a result, ants attack on the plants and eat those. For this, the new plants are to be kept with care,” he said.

“During its nursing, I requested two agriculture officers about its cultivation, but they could not serve proper advice. But, they suggested me to apply medicine on its affected new plants and I was succeed,” he added.

He used the thick bamboo in various household purposes and gave some to poor neighbours. This year, he sold 20 bamboo trees as Tk 400 per piece.

One bamboo tree would be sold Tk 500 to Tk 550 easily if I would separate it from the bamboo cluster and sell it, Rezaul said.

Massage of the bamboo cultivation has not been spreaded likely. He donated the plants to two relatives who planted as per his instruction.

“This year I tried to display some piece of the thick bamboo in the tree fair in Kurigram. But I could not do due to my problem. I think – compared to the other local varieties, cultivation of the long and thick bamboo should spread among other farmers,” Rezaul said.