Emad Uddin Chowdhury Bitu set up a grape garden on the roof of his home as a hobby. For a while he had serious doubts about it, but he was delighted when the vines began to bear fruit. The agriculture department is also thrilled by the success of the rooftop garden, the first grape growing in Sitakunda. The garden is at the home of Munshi Sadek Ali Chowdhury in the Paka Masjid area of Sonaichhari union in the upazila.
The hobby grower has planted 55 grape varieties on the roof. They include Baikonur, Attika, Plaminko, Dixon, Dashunia, Guri, Green Long, Loras, Academic, Transfiguration, Dovski Pink, Flame Seedless and Lychee Flavour. He collected the plants from America, Ukraine, Japan, China and India.
Sweet, not sour
"Although I grew them as a hobby, I was doubtful about success. After a long search I planted seedlings of 55 varieties on the roof. When the fruit came, everyone was amazed to see grapes. They all thought grapes here would be sour, but they turned out sweet. People now crowd in to see the garden. Inspired by this success, I want to grow grapes commercially. I hope you will see grape farming on a large scale," Emad Uddin Chowdhury Bitu said.
Local resident Kamrul Islam said: "I do not know whether grapes like these have been grown anywhere in the upazila, let alone our union. I went to the garden and saw many kinds of grapes. I tasted them and was amazed too, as attractive in size as they are sweet. Many young people are becoming interested in grape farming after seeing the garden, which will enrich local agriculture and make many young people financially self-reliant."
Sitakunda upazila agriculture officer Mohammad Habibulla said: "This is the first success here. The yield has been good and the grapes are sweet. But in the local climate, seeds have formed inside the grapes. We hope that with some processes there will be no seeds. All in all, the way he has succeeded will be an example for others. I hope cultivation will increase, and we want to help them."
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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