Out of a hobby, Ahsan Habib Ratan has built a fruit and vegetable garden on the roof of his house in the Sultanpur area of Naogaon town. The garden brings him joy as well as fresh, clean vegetables and fruit.

Ahsan Habib Ratan studied for a diploma in agriculture. He first planted flowers in pots on the roof. To expand the garden, a year ago he brought orange trees from Bogura and planted them in 10 drums, and they are now bearing fruit. Besides oranges, small and large pots hold 80 kinds of plants, including various Thai pomelos, strawberry, guava, olive, carambola, karamcha, aloe vera, rose and marigold.

"I use vermicompost at the base of the rooftop plants, and they are tended every three months. This makes rooftop gardening very rewarding. When relatives visit, I can serve them fresh fruit. Neighbours are also coming to me for advice on making rooftop gardens," Ahsan Habib Ratan said.

Monojit Kumar Mallick, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Naogaon, said: "Instead of leaving roofs unused, it is possible to grow various vegetables and fruit on them, and to produce pesticide-free fruit. Sub-assistant agriculture officers will help people set up rooftop gardens, and many can also learn from the agriculture department's website."

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