Amjad Hossain, an electrical businessman from Bagrom village in Natore Sadar, has successfully cultivated grapes in his courtyard, turning a long-held dream into reality.
Amjad always aspired to cultivate grapes. To pursue this dream, he began exploring Facebook and YouTube, where he connected with several young expatriates in Italy working in vineyards.
They supported his vision by sending various grape vine cuttings from abroad. He planted 40 saplings of 36 different varieties on 20 decimals of land in his courtyard and soon saw success.
With regular care, Amjad has already seen bunches of grapes growing on seven varieties of his vines. These grapes are not only very sweet but also uniquely flavourful. Seeing success, he has started commercial cultivation.
Amjad is also producing and selling cuttings from these grapevines. Although he is gifting this year's production to visitors and relatives, he plans to start selling grapes next year.
Amjad mentioned that his father was a farmer, and he is the youngest among seven sisters and three brothers.
The grapes from his vines are sweeter than those available in the market. He has started selling cuttings for Tk 500-700 each and has sold saplings worth Tk 2,00,000 so far. Each vine yields between 2.5 to 10 kg of grapes and these are of a Russian variety.
Resident Halsa Golakar Kawsar said that the grapes grown by Amjad are visually appealing and extremely sweet, creating quite a buzz among locals.
“While many in Natore grow grapes in rooftop gardens or small plots, Amjad's grapes stand out for their taste and size, prompting many to buy his cuttings,” he added.
Amjad claimed to have planted 36 varieties and achieved good yields. He believes that if these varieties are spread throughout the country, anyone can grow pesticide-free grapes at home.
He advised that anyone wanting to start a vineyard should plant 150 saplings per bigha of land. Currently, two to three people are already working on establishing vineyards using his cuttings.
Abdul Wadud, deputy director of the Natore Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said that they have observed successful cultivation of these types of grapes this year. The yield has been good, and the grapes are very sweet. He assured that the DAE continues to support such farmers with necessary services.
