Squash sees successful farming in Jashore

 Habibur Rahman Habib has found success in squash, a foreign variety of winter vegetable, cultivation in Monirampur upazila of Jashore district.

Hailing from Kodlapara village in the upazila, the youth has started cultivating the vegetable commercially for the first time. He saw You Tube videos on squash cultivation from where he got inspiration to cultivate the vegetable.

Later, he collected seeds from Dhaka and started farming on his one bigha and two decimals of land, said Habib.

He added that squash plants look like sweet pumpkin plants. Squash is rich in vitamin and protein.

"In June last year, I cultivated cucumber on two bighas of land. I got acquainted with squash by seeing You Tube videos on cultivation of the foreign variety of winter vegetable. Then I started cultivating squash in consultation with the local agriculture officer after collecting seeds from Dhaka," said Habib.

"As it is a winter vegetable, I have sown the seeds in three phases in early November spending 12 to 13 thousand taka. I have already sold the vegetable at Tk 30,000," he said.

He is the son of Shik Shamsul Huda of Kodlapara village in the upazila. He passed Kamil in 2019.

He had a grocery store in the local Rohita market. He left the trade in grocery following a family feud and started farming.

Habib's field is now filled with green, black and yellow squash, said locals.

"I am now selling green and black squash at Tk 25 and yellow squash at Tk 50 per kg in the local market," he said.

Local buyer Sagar Islam said "I had never eaten squash before. I bought one squash at Tk 40."

Two more farmers have cultivated squash in Monirampur upazila. They are Obaidul Hasan and Khalilur Rahman.

Obaidul has cultivated squash on 14 decimals of land next to Habib. While he was in abroad, Obaidul got acquainted with squash farming.

Farmer Khalilur Rahman has cultivated squash on 1.5 bighas of land.

Monirampur Upazila Agriculture Officer Herok Sarkar said, the winter vegetable is rich in protein. Squash cultivation has also been bringing good profit for growers.

They are motivating the farmers to cultivate squash as the vegetable farming brings profit to growers, said the agriculture office.