watermelon cultivation
Growers eye good yield
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Noakhali
Watermelon growers of Noakhali are expecting good production of this summer fruit this year. They have already started harvesting their produces. They are expecting good profit as the market prices of watermelon are handsome.
Besides supplying to the local markets, farmers are exporting their produces to different places across the country including capital city Dhaka.
Aby Sayeed, a grower from Subarnchar upazila, said he invested Tk2 lakh in watermelon cultivation including cost of fertiliser, seeds and labour remuneration. So far, he sold nearly 20 mounds of watermelon at Tk 50,000 and expected around 30 mounds left to sale.
The fruit weighing around five-kg is being sold at Tk 120 to Tk 140 in retail market which may decrease to Tk 70 to Tk 80 during the mid of summer, said Idrish Mintu, a watermelon grower from Mohammadpur union in Subarnachar upazila.
Having expectation of good profit he cultivated the plants at the beginning of Bangla month Magh, he added.
According to officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Noakhali, 50,400 acres of land has been brought under watermelon cultivation in Subarnachar and Noakhali Sadar upazila.
Of them, in Subarnachar, 42,500 hectares of land around 130,000 tonnes of watermelon are being expected to be produced this year, sources of DAE told our correspondent.
Salinity of soil is helpful for watermelon while cultivation of paddy difficult in this condition. That is why farmers of this area increasingly showing their interest in watermelon cultivation.
