Malappuram: Nowadays a lot of people are indulged in terrace farming. Jaffar Babu, a native of Valanchery, stands out among them by cultivating only exotic fruits. Almost 200 varieties of fruits grow on the terrace, sunshades, and even on the window sills of his two storeyed house that has an area of 2,700 square feet. The people who complains of spatial limitation should visit Jaffar's house. He has planted fruits and vegetables in grow bags, containers and plant pots.
"Why do we need a lot of space to cultivate? We have to use the available space for it." Jaffar said pointing at the plants growing in all corners of his home. Then he introduced each of the species on his terrace. "This one is Nam Dok Mai, which is said to be originated in Thailand. It is very sweet and one of the best ten mangoes in the world," he aded.
Another special plant is Arabian fig which ripes during the Ramzan season. Vietnam super early jackfruit, the world's spiciest chilli variety Turkey chilli, Manila tennis ball cherry, six varieties of Dragon fruits, Golden papaya, Star fruit, Sundrop fruit, different kinds of Rambutans, Longan fruits, Strawberries, VNR guava and grape guava are some of the exotic fruits here. Jaffar would enquire about the plants and the method of cultivation from the places he collect them.
He never uses chemical fertilisers or pesticides on the plants. Instead he only uses goat manure, cow dung, organic fertilisers available in the market. He also converts the wastes of vegetables and food into compost. He also grows plants in the 17 cents of land near his house. The Brazilian Jaboticaba has been cultivated in this plot.
Jaffar has a lot of fruits to harvest everyday. But instead of selling, he offers them to the visitorsand also prepares juice with it. They never buy vegetables from outside. His wife Jameela also help him in farming.
Jaffar Babu was working in Saudi Arabia. He quit the job and returned home four years ago. Since then, he has been working in the marketing section of an Ayurvedic company.
