BSS, Panchagarh :
Watermelon growers of Panchagarh district are now happy over bumper yield and satisfactory prices of their produces in local markets this year.
The farmers are now selling the watermelon, one of the popular summer juicy fruit of Bangladesh, in good prices in local markets and buyers from Dhaka , Rajshahi, Bogra, Khulna and adjoining districts.
The growers have now become solvent by cultivating the fruit on their cropland. They have succeeded overcoming their financial hardship from sale of the fruit in this summer season.
This year 1,000 hectares of land in five upazilas of the district brought under the watermelon cultivation, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Panchagarh sources said. The DAE further said the total production might cross 40,000 tonnes during the current season.
Markets sources said, the retail market prices of large, medium and small sized watermelons are Taka 250-200, Tk 150-100 and Tk 80-70 respectively.
Sandy soil of five upazilas of the district is suitable for watermelon cultivation and a good number of rivers and canals there provide irrigation facility, said Saiful Islam assistant Agriculture officer of DAE in Debiganj upazila.
Local farmers are encouraged to cultivate watermelon by the DAE as it is more profitable than paddy, he added.
During the ongoing harvesting season traders from different areas of the country are coming to buy watermelon from the fields in the district.
During a visit to Dararhat village under Debigan jupazila on Thursday ,this correspondent saw many farmers and their family members busy with harvesting watermelon from the fields and loading it to truck to send them to different places including Dhaka , Rajshahi, Bogra and Khulna.
“I cultivated watermelon on my 3 acres of land spending Taka about 2 lakh . I have already sold watermelon worth about Taka about 3 lakh and hope to get Taka 7 lakh more by selling rest of the produce, said Sunil Chandra ,a watermelon farmer of Dararhat village in Debiganj upazila.
Zahangir Alam, another farmer of the same area, cultivated watermelon on 2 acres of land. He hoped to earn Tk 7 to 8 lakh by selling watermelon this year.
“We are very happy to see bumper yield and good prices of watermelon”, he said.
Watermelon growers of Panchagarh district are now happy over bumper yield and satisfactory prices of their produces in local markets this year.
The farmers are now selling the watermelon, one of the popular summer juicy fruit of Bangladesh, in good prices in local markets and buyers from Dhaka , Rajshahi, Bogra, Khulna and adjoining districts.
The growers have now become solvent by cultivating the fruit on their cropland. They have succeeded overcoming their financial hardship from sale of the fruit in this summer season.
This year 1,000 hectares of land in five upazilas of the district brought under the watermelon cultivation, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Panchagarh sources said. The DAE further said the total production might cross 40,000 tonnes during the current season.
Markets sources said, the retail market prices of large, medium and small sized watermelons are Taka 250-200, Tk 150-100 and Tk 80-70 respectively.
Sandy soil of five upazilas of the district is suitable for watermelon cultivation and a good number of rivers and canals there provide irrigation facility, said Saiful Islam assistant Agriculture officer of DAE in Debiganj upazila.
Local farmers are encouraged to cultivate watermelon by the DAE as it is more profitable than paddy, he added.
During the ongoing harvesting season traders from different areas of the country are coming to buy watermelon from the fields in the district.
During a visit to Dararhat village under Debigan jupazila on Thursday ,this correspondent saw many farmers and their family members busy with harvesting watermelon from the fields and loading it to truck to send them to different places including Dhaka , Rajshahi, Bogra and Khulna.
“I cultivated watermelon on my 3 acres of land spending Taka about 2 lakh . I have already sold watermelon worth about Taka about 3 lakh and hope to get Taka 7 lakh more by selling rest of the produce, said Sunil Chandra ,a watermelon farmer of Dararhat village in Debiganj upazila.
Zahangir Alam, another farmer of the same area, cultivated watermelon on 2 acres of land. He hoped to earn Tk 7 to 8 lakh by selling watermelon this year.
“We are very happy to see bumper yield and good prices of watermelon”, he said.
