Al Amin of Basail in Tangail has made a success of a pomegranate garden he built on the roof of his house after watching YouTube videos. He first planted a few pomegranate trees on his roof for his mother on a doctor's advice. His mother later died, but he has gone on to succeed with pomegranate growing. He is the son of Bazlur Rahman of Patkhaguri village in Habla union of the upazila.

In 2023 Al Amin's mother was diagnosed with cancer, and doctors advised that she eat pomegranate (anar or dalim) regularly. Fruit in the market contains chemicals, so the lack of safe fruit for his mother led him to decide to grow pomegranates. He planted a few small saplings in a corner of the courtyard, then planted pomegranate trees in drums on the roof. His mother died in May 2025, but his garden has kept growing. Saplings he grafts himself now go to rooftop gardens across the country, and he earns Tk 60,000-80,000 a month from sapling sales alone.

"My mother got cancer in 2023," Al Amin said. "At that time I worked in a garment factory. The doctor told us to give her pomegranates. The pomegranates in the market contain chemicals, and buying them cost Tk 500-600, which was hard for me. So I planted saplings in the courtyard to give my mother good pomegranates."

"At first I had no plan for a rooftop garden," he said. "Then I watched videos on YouTube about growing pomegranates on the roof. I bought a few small saplings from Tongi in Gazipur and planted them in drums on the roof. There weren't even stairs to the roof then. The rooftop garden grew from those saplings. When I saw my mother's health getting worse, I quit my job. She died a week after I quit. I built the pomegranate garden for her; she was my inspiration."

"Since my mother's death I now have about 1,500 to 2,000 pomegranate saplings on the roof and on the ground," Al Amin said. "The trees that bear fruit are on the roof. I'm also growing grapes, oranges and malta on the roof now. I graft the plants myself and produce and sell saplings. People from different parts of the country collect saplings from me."

He added: "I have 26 varieties, including Super Bhagwa and Mridula from Maharashtra in India, Gujarati pomegranate, Thai pomegranate from Thailand, Australian pomegranate and Pakistani pomegranate. After expenses I can earn Tk 60,000 to 80,000 a month."

Local resident Mizanur Rahman said: "Al Amin has succeeded with his rooftop pomegranate garden. He grafts pomegranates and sells the saplings. He started the rooftop garden when his mother was ill. It was small then, but it has grown. People come from different areas and take saplings from him to start gardens. I'd also like to have a rooftop pomegranate garden like his."

Habibullah Sheful, who came to see the garden, said: "I saw a wonderful rooftop garden. I didn't know pomegranates could grow so well in our soil and on a roof. I will very soon take advice from the young entrepreneur Al Amin and start a pomegranate garden on my own roof."

Basail Upazila Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Muhammad Abu Elias Talukder said: "Al Amin is a successful young entrepreneur. He has built a pomegranate garden on his roof and sells grafted saplings, which are going to different parts of the country. He is earning well every month. We have tried to advise him from time to time."

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