Tale of an arborist

Wasim, an arborist in Kendua upazila of Netrakona district, has now successfully cultivated Baromasi BARI Mango-11 commercially. He is happy to be able to pick mangoes after about a year and a half of planting.

According to sources, the new variety of mango was invented by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). This mango tree will bear fruits all the year round. That is why BARI-11 mango has been named as Baromasi mango. This mango variety is 11.3 cm in length and it weighs 300-350 grams.

Anwar Zahid Mallick Wasim, known as a tree lover at Brahmanjat village of Kandiura union in Kendua upazila of Netrakona, took the initiative to cultivate this mango commercially.

Last year, he planted a new variety of BARI-11 mango saplings on about 40 acres of land. After planting the saplings, he started organic mango orchards with the aim of producing safe fruits by eliminating harmful chemical fertilisers, pesticides, hormones etc.

He is selling the mango for Tk 130 per kg. Every morning, people are coming to the garden to buy mangoes. Wasim is known as an arborist in the area. He has Malta orchards, improved BARI-4 mango orchards and lemon orchards.

Moreover, his house is like a fruit garden on about 120 acres of land. He has about 170 species of fruit trees in his garden. Of these, 45 species are mango, 85 jackfruit, 8 blackberry, 6 orange, 5 litchi, 10 guava, 6 dragon, 40 latkan, papaya, betel, rose blackberry, coconut, almond, tangfal, kamranga, arbulai, daphne, chalta, safeda, ashfal, bilambu, grape, pineapple, banana, wood apple, Thai grape, watermelon, jamrul, mango, pomegranate and so on.

Besides, there are medicinal plants like hartaki, bahera, patharkuchi, diaget, aloe vera, pan bilap, tulsi, lajjavati, ulatkambal, alobokera, clove and many other butterflies and medicinal plants. Wasim is the only son of his parents.

After completion of his studies, he set up a business called 'Messrs Mallick Agricultural Center' in Kendua Bazar. He has already gained a good reputation in business. He has been fond of planting fruit trees and farming since childhood.

Wasim said, "A year and a half ago, I cultivated BARI-11 variety of mango on about 40 acres of land. Although the tree is not very big, it has buds and mangoes as expected. I do not use any harmful medicine or fertilizer in my garden. In order to produce safe fruits, we have introduced organic methods in mango orchards. Each mango weighs 200 to 250 grams. I am selling mangoes for Tk 130 to 250 per kg. Mango is in good demand as it is delicious. Every morning people come to the garden to buy mangoes".

He said, "I have planted mango of Bari-4 variety. It was the first fruit this year. Since mangoes are very sweet, I have sold all the mangoes in the garden in 2/3 days’

This time Malta has also done well. I will start selling it after 15/20 days, he added.

His house has 170 varieties of local and foreign fruit trees. He keeps some fruits in his house all the year round.

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