A rooftop pomegranate garden that began as a son’s attempt to provide safe, chemical-free fruit for his cancer-stricken mother has grown into a profitable business, earning a Tangail entrepreneur around Tk10 lakh a year.
Alamin, from Patkhaguri village in Basail Upazila, left his job in the garment sector to expand the venture after initially planting a few pomegranate trees on his rooftop in 2023. He now cultivates 60 mature trees of 26 varieties and sells both fruit and grafted saplings across the country.
The idea took shape after doctors advised his mother, Lovely Begum, to eat pomegranates during her cancer treatment.
Concerned about chemical-treated fruit available in the market and unable to afford regular purchases costing Tk500 to Tk600 each, Alamin first planted saplings in his yard before shifting to rooftop cultivation after learning modern techniques through online videos.
Although his mother died in May 2025, a week after he resigned from his job to focus on farming, Alamin continued expanding the project in her memory.
His rooftop garden now features varieties including Maharashtra Super Bhagwa, Mridula, Gujarati, Thai, Australian Big Thai, Rimon, Mexican and Pakistani pomegranates, all grown in plastic drums using modern cultivation methods. The trees produce fruit twice a year, during the monsoon and winter seasons.
Besides selling fresh pomegranates, Alamin has developed a thriving business producing grafted saplings. He currently has around 2,000 saplings on his rooftop and on the ground, with prices ranging from Tk200 to Tk2,000 each.
After meeting production costs, he earns nearly Tk10 lakh annually from fruit and sapling sales, including through his Facebook page. The rooftop orchard also includes grapes, oranges and malta.
Residents say Alamin’s success has encouraged many people in the area to consider commercial pomegranate cultivation and rooftop gardening.
Local resident Mizanur Rahman, who already grows fruits including malta, oranges and dragon fruit, said he had never succeeded with pomegranates before and now planned to buy grafted saplings from Alamin to establish his own rooftop garden.
College student Tania Akter, who recently visited the garden, said she had not realised such high-quality pomegranates could be grown on rooftops in Bangladesh and hoped to start a similar garden after receiving guidance from Alamin.
Alamin said he personally manages the rooftop garden and hires labourers only when necessary. He also provides cultivation advice to customers purchasing his grafted saplings.
Muhammad Abu Elias Talukdar, sub-assistant agriculture officer of Basail Upazila, described Alamin as a successful young entrepreneur whose grafted saplings are now being distributed across different parts of the country.
He said the Department of Agricultural Extension regularly provides Alamin with technical guidance and support, adding that his success demonstrates how careful planning, hard work and modern farming techniques can turn agriculture into a profitable enterprise while inspiring more young people to take up farming.
