This three-and-a-half-acre plot on the bank of the Dakatia river was once abandoned. Now it is filled with attractive and rare fruit trees of many kinds. "Fruits Valley Agro" was built by Helal Uddin of Shahtali village in Chandpur Sadar.

Helal Uddin is a journalist by profession, but he always felt a pull towards the soil and a deep love of fruit growing. He began planting fruit trees on his ancestral land as a hobby, and it has grown into a unique collection of expensive and rare mangoes from home and abroad, along with many other fruits.

Colourful mangoes hang from the trees, all of foreign varieties. The orchard of 57 foreign mango varieties is not just a fruit garden but the harvest of Helal Uddin's dreams, labour and love.

Entering the orchard, rows of mango trees greet the visitor, with young fruit of internationally known varieties shining in the summer sun. When the programme was recorded most of the mangoes were still immature, but their varied colours and beauty already hinted at their potential.

Source: Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.