The scent of sweet mangoes fills the air around the mango garden Sakib has built on his roof in Rangunia, and local people are coming to peek at it. The ripe mangoes announce that the honey season is on its way. In the Syed Bari area next to Rangunia police station, college student Md Sakib has planted rows of mango trees in tubs on the roof of his house. Alongside the mango blossoms, some trees are bearing clusters of fruit.
Drawn by the sweet smell of ripe mangoes, people from the area are flocking to see it, curious that the trees are fruiting out of season. Seeing Sakib's garden, most of the young men in the area are showing interest in growing mangoes in tubs on their roofs. Sakib has been tending the trees for a long time, and the fruit on some has begun to ripen. Along with mango, he has planted saplings of lemon, pineapple and other fruit trees, which have also fruited as hoped.
Agriculture office: not unusual
On the matter of mangoes appearing out of season, the Rangunia Upazila Agriculture Office said that with good-quality saplings and proper care, fruiting on the roof ahead of the usual time is nothing unusual. Anyone who starts a commercial rooftop mango garden can succeed as Sakib has.
Varieties are mainly Langra, Gopalbhog, Khirsapat and Ashwina, and many people are also becoming interested in planting gardens of the research-developed BARI-3 and BARI-4 varieties.
"Anyone can do it"
Asked about his rooftop garden, Sakib said good-quality mango saplings were planted in a small space on the roof, and he tends the garden on the advice of an agriculture officer. The yield has been good and fruit on one or two trees has begun to ripen. A small tub garden on the roof can bring financial gain and meet the family's nutritional needs, he said. He has planned to grow mangoes on a large scale next year, and many people are following his example.
Rangunia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Saiful Islam Majumder said anyone can easily grow a mango garden on their roof, to eat formalin-free mangoes and meet the family's nutritional needs.
Source: Staff Correspondent. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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