At first glance, one might mistake it for a garden in Kashmir. But this is not Kashmir — it's in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, where a pomegranate orchard has been established. Every tree is heavy with clusters of bright red, juicy foreign pomegranates. Despite the soil and climate not being entirely favorable, the country's largest pomegranate orchard has been established in Belbari, Dinajpur Sadar upazila.
The orchard owners achieved success through experimental cultivation. From 1,100 trees, they expect to sell pomegranates worth Tk 1.3 to 1.4 million this season.
Pomegranate (also known as Bedana), a vitamin-rich fruit, is heavily imported from Nepal, India, China, South Africa, and several other countries to meet Bangladesh's demand. However, this is the first time such an import-dependent fruit is being cultivated on a large scale within the country. Four years after planting the saplings, each tree has now borne fruit. The entire orchard is laden with fruit, with each tree bearing between 20 and 60 pomegranates. The orchard owners plan to start selling the fruits by the end of August.
In Belbari, under Raniganj Union of Dinajpur Sadar upazila, the large pomegranate orchard called Green Leaf Agro Farm is situated just beside the main road. The orchard has been established by two friends, Mohammad Nadim and Moniruzzaman Chowdhury, through their sincere efforts. Spread across three and a half acres of land, the orchard has 1,100 pomegranate trees. Although last year’s yield was low, this year the fruit is abundant. The owners claim that in terms of taste, fragrance, color, and size, their pomegranates are not inferior to imported ones.
Mohammad Nadim and his friend Moniruzzaman underwent training under an agricultural farm in Mumbai, India, before starting the orchard in Dinajpur four years ago.
Although many people initially discouraged them, Mohammad Nadim is now proud to have established the country's largest pomegranate orchard.
During a recent on-site visit, Nadim said, “My partner Moniruzzaman and I planted 1,100 pomegranate trees on 3.5 acres of land. Last year, there was a small yield. But this year, there is a great abundance of fruit.” He hopes they will be able to sell pomegranates worth at least Tk 1.3 to 1.4 million.
He added, “Each tree can bear fruit for up to 30 years without any major diseases. The longer the trees grow, the higher the yield will be. Having succeeded on the first attempt, we plan to expand the orchard.” He expressed hope that alongside personal profit, this initiative will help reduce the country's reliance on foreign currency.
News of the successful pomegranate cultivation in Dinajpur has been spreading on social media, and many people are now visiting the orchard every day. Seeing pomegranates hanging in clusters, many are inspired to cultivate the fruit themselves and are seeking advice from the orchard owners. Several officials from the Ministry of Agriculture in Dhaka, Dinajpur’s Deputy Commissioner Md. Rafiqul Islam, and officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension have already visited the orchard.
The orchard owners and agricultural officials claim that there is no other pomegranate orchard this large in Bangladesh.
Abu Borhan, a field-level officer from the local agricultural office, said the two friends took a considerable risk in setting up the orchard. The agriculture office has been supporting them as much as possible.
Md. Afzal Hossain, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Dinajpur, said the orchard has been established as an experiment in Dinajpur’s soil.
He added, “We are providing all necessary advice for cultivating this foreign fruit in Dinajpur. So far, no major issues have arisen. For any pest or disease issues, we are giving proper guidance. Since the experimental cultivation has been successful, Dinajpur’s soil shows great promise for pomegranate farming. This orchard is already inspiring other agricultural entrepreneurs to start cultivating pomegranates as well.”
