Asif Mahmud has loved growing flowers and fruit since childhood. To make that dream come true, he started growing strawberries on the roof of his house. What began as a hobby soon covered the whole roof with strawberries, and he has caused quite a stir in the area.

Asif Mahmud lives in Chapadah village of Kholahati union in Gaibandha Sadar upazila. He is a first-year student at Kanchipara Degree College in Phulchhari upazila.

Inquiries found that Asif began growing strawberries on his roof as a hobby in 2022, wanting to eat fruit free of poison. He started with a single seedling brought from his sister's house. At first the yield was poor, but he did not give up. After long effort he got a good yield, and his enthusiasm slowly grew.

When his friends gather to chat in their free time between studies, Asif uses that time to tend the strawberry plants in his roof garden. He also advises classmates to grow flowers and fruit on their roofs or on idle land next to their homes to meet their families' nutritional needs.

Family members said Asif started growing strawberries as a hobby, and from one seedling there are now about 2,000 plants on the roof. At first the family did not help much; now everyone tends the garden when they have time. At the start of the season the strawberries bear white flowers, then yellow fruit, and finally the fruit turns a bright ripe red. The yield is quite good.

Sohag Mia of Chapadah village said: "Strawberries have been grown in our area for the first time. The fruit looks tempting and tastes delicious. It is a profitable fruit. I will grow strawberries, so I have come to Asif for advice."

Strawberry grower Asif Mahmud said: "I really started growing strawberries out of a hobby. Now I have about 1,800 strawberry plants. As well as meeting the family's needs, I can sell them at the market at a low price. I dream of making a bigger garden in future."

Md Khorshed Alam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Gaibandha, said: "Farmers in the district are now growing high-quality and foreign fruits. They are very keen to adopt new technologies. Asif Mahmud is one of them. He has grown strawberries on his roof, succeeded, and is getting a good market price. Students interested in roof gardening will be given advanced training in agriculture, and all kinds of farming advice."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.