The New Nation - Internet Edition

Rafiqul Islam Azad

Capitalising on a huge piece of land of Shafipur Ansar Academy in Gazipur, a private firm has devised a plan to make crores of Taka in the name of agricultural development projects.

Khwaja Agri-Horticulture Research Centre, a name sake firm owned by a person, got the opportunity to enter inside the restricted area of the Academy in late 2002 under an incomplete Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to carry out agro-based plantation at its uncultivated land and provide training to Ansar and VDP members.

The shady MoU, signed between the authority and the firm, neither specified the size of the land to be used for agriculture purpose nor mentioned its validity period.

Sources in the Ansar Academy, a national institution to provide training to the members of Ansar and VDP, said the MoU was signed on production sharing basis.

According to the MoU, the Academy would get 30 per cent of the production in kind, while only 15 per cent in cash. The rest goes to the owner of the firm.

According to a statistic of the Ansar Academy, there were over 5,000 mother mango trees in the academy premises, which produced about one lakh KG of mangoes last year. The market price of those mangoes is estimated Tk 4,00,000, while the investment cost was only Tk 40,000. Besides, there are about 2,00,000 mango plants, which were grafted from the mother trees. The market value of the plants was about Tk 1,00,00,000 (one crore).

However, the caretaker of the firm told this correspondent that there are 1,00,000 grafted plants in the firm for sale. Price of each plant is Tk 40.

When contacted Khalilur Rahman, Deputy Director (Admn) of Ansar Academy told The New Nation that so far he knows the Academy was yet to take any money in cash from the Khwaja Agri-Horticulture Research Centre. He said money was no factor here; rather it was a promotional issue.

"The firm gives us plants at a cheap rate and the academy distributes plants among Ansar-VDP members," he said.

Asked whether there were any option to cancel the MoU, if the firm violates any of its conditions, he said, "We can remove them only after serving a legal notice."

About the size of the land being used by the firm, Khalilur Rahman said it was not mentioned what amount of land the firm could utilise but it was stated that they would use all uncultivated space of the academy on over 300 acres of land.

On the basis of the MoU, Sarwar Hossain popularly known as Aziz, got involve with various agricultural activities and research work, including, nursery, plantation of agarwood and bio-fuel inside the Academy.

Asked about the experience in the horticulture and bio-fuel research field, he admitted that he had no experience in the fields; rather he carried out the work taking help of consultants of the respective fields.

Interestingly, the firm, now, has been spreading the wings of its business capitalising on the Ansar Academy land and resorting to various tactics both local and foreign.

Showing the agarwood planted in the Ansar Academy premises, the Khwaja Agri-Horticulture Research Centre signed an agreement worth US$ 2,50,000 with Cultivated Agarwood LLC, an American Company to buy agar kits. The agar kits were inserted inside the agar plants to produce costly agarwood.

On invitation from Mohammed Sarwar Hossain, the proprietor of the firm, Robert A. Blanchette and Henry Heuveling Van Beek came to Dhaka on October 19, 2007 and visited the Ansar-VDP Agarwood Plantations inside the Academy.

The delegation stayed at the Ansar-VDP Guest House, Gazipur for three nights and signed the agreement on October 22 last year.

When contacted, Sarwar Hossain, however, said that there was no relation of cultivation of agar plants in the Ansar Academy premises with the agreement with the foreign company.

No officials of the academy wanted to say anything whether Sarwar Hossain sought the permission of the authority to arrange the visit of the delegation inside the academy premises and signing of the licence agreement.

About the MoU with Ansar Academy, he said the main aim of the MoU was to transfer technology and use of modern technology in the agricultural sector.

He said his firm has about 2,500 mother mango trees. He has a plan to produce 1,00,000 saplings from those trees every year.

Aziz said his firm provides training to the Ansar-VDP members on plantation and cultivation of mushroom and strawberry but he cannot say how many Ansar-VDP members were provided trainings so far.

Meanwhile, the Ansar Academy authority has started a coordinated agricultural activities on one hector area of the academy where various crops, fruits and vegetables are produced utilising the scientific method.

A senior officer involved with the project said that they are successfully carrying out the coordinated activities on a small piece of land. This could be a model to bring agricultural revolution in the country, he said.

Asked whether they were capable of utilizing the land being used by the firm he parried the question saying that there were many things to do on their own, but they could not take the decision.