Once uncultivated, now blossoming with watermelons
A vast tract of sandy land at a remote village in Rangabali upazila remained uncultivated for years but it is now blossoming with watermelon, much to the happiness of farmers and agriculture officials.
The growers in the village produce watermelon on the land for the first time this year, said agriculture officials.
Jahajmara is a small village on the sea shore of the Bay in the newly formed Maudubi union of the upazila.
Like Hasi Begum, many watermelon growers in the village are very happy to get bumper yield and fair prices of the popular summer fruit for the first time.
Hasi along with her husband and son lives in a house under a government-run housing project in the area.
Last year, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rangabali for the first time encouraged farmers to produce watermelon on the sandy land.
Hasi said she cultivated watermelon on three acres of land at a cost of Tk 1.50 lakh. She borrowed the money from a local NGO and some of her relatives. The land is now filled with watermelons.
They dug a well to irrigate the watermelon fields, said Hasi's husband Faruk.
"I have already sold watermelon at Tk 20,000 and hope to sell the summer fruit worth Tk 5 lakh," said Hasi.
Like Hasi and her husband Faruq, 25 farmers have planted watermelon on the sandy land this year.
An official of Rangabali DAE said 35 hectares of land in the village have been brought under watermelon cultivation this year.
Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer of Rangabali upazila Md Jewel said Patuakhali district is mainly dependent on Aman cultivation. Usually farmers in the area start planting watermelon in January after the Aman harvest in December. But these farmers in the village cultivated watermelon on the uncultivated land in December. The farmers of the village are getting bumper production of the summer fruit due to advanced planting.
Traders from different districts, including Dhaka, are coming to the remote area to buy watermelons, he said, adding, that 7,560 hectares of land in Rangabali have been brought under watermelon cultivation this year.
Farmer Suman Dalal of the village said he planted watermelon on 20 acres of land at a cost of Tk 60,000. He has already sold watermelons at Tk one lakh.
Rafiqul Islam, a trader from Dhaka, said he bought a medium size watermelon at Tk 50 to Tk 75 in different areas of the upazila last year, which was bought at Tk 80 to Tk 110 in Jahajmara this year.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Monirul Islam said watermelon farmers of Jahajmara village are getting good price due to advanced planting.
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