Dragon fruit grower turns house into an orchard

Md Kamruzzaman, a government employee in Sirajganj, came across a dragon fruit orchard during an official tour to Natore a few years ago.

Ever since then, he had dreamed of owning a similar orchard of his own but lacked the required land.

However, that did not stop him from actualising his dream by cultivating dragon fruit plants at home.

After constructing a three-storey residential complex on four decimals of land in Jhikra village of Ullapara upazila in 2018, Kamruzzaman slowly built up his orchard by planting around 1,000 saplings on his roof.

After securing a bumper harvest from his experimental initiative, Kamruzzaman started cultivating dragon fruit on every inch available in his house, including the corridors and parking lot.

In about two years since then, he became a successful commercial dragon fruit grower despite not having any naturally arable land for cultivation thanks to his firm devotion and hard labour.

Other than the dragon fruit itself, Kamruzzaman now sells saplings from his orchard to other potential farmers.

"I earn around Tk 1 lakh to Tk 1.5 lakh from the dragon fruit produced by 3,000 plants every year," he said, adding that saplings earn him a further Tk 30,000 to Tk 50,000 annually.

Kamruzzaman, a statistical assistant of the family planning office in Sirajganj, learned how to grow dragon fruit from various social media and streaming platforms, such as YouTube, and discussion boards.

"I have spent more than Tk 2 lakh to plant about 3,000 dragon fruit plants at home as it costs a lot to buy the necessary pots, fertilisers, soil, and other materials needed to establish a rooftop orchard," he said.

Once he completes his official duties, Kamruzzaman spends the rest of the day tending to the orchard, which employs only one full-time employee.

Preparing soil for dragon fruit cultivation is a costly and laborious job, according to the farmer.

"We need to prepare vermicompost and mix this organic fertiliser with dry soil along with cocopeat, oil cake and other components to ensure a plant's healthy growth," Kamruzzaman said.

Dragon fruit, also known as Pitaya, is produced by several different cactus species indigenous to the Americas. The cash crop is rich in various vitamins and comes in a number of colours, namely red, pink and yellow, all of which are available at Kamruzzaman's orchard.

Due to its taste and health benefits, dragon fruits have huge market demand.

Each kilogramme (kg) of the fruit currently sells for about Tk 350 to Tk 400.

Kamruzzaman developed his orchard with help from online sources, which sets a great example for others who could follow in his footsteps, according to Suborna Yeasmin Shumi, agriculture officer of Ullapara upazila.

"Without government support, Kamruzzaman developed his home-based orchard in a way that could inspire unemployed people to do the same," she said.

When Kamruzzaman first started cultivating dragon fruit plants at home, his family and some locals criticised the initiative but now they are celebrating his success.

"People thought it was madness at first but after witnessing his success first-hand, they are now all proud of him," said Sultana Tahmina, Kamruzzaman's wife.