Watermelon plants dying days before harvest

Watermelon farmers of the district are facing losses this season as the melon vines are dying in different areas due to 'wilting' disease, just two weeks before harvest.

Alam Gazi, 45, a farmer of Vanra village of Amkhola union under Galachipa upazila, said, "I cultivated watermelons on half an acre of land this year, spending Tk 25,000. The melons would have been ready for sale within two weeks, but some vines suddenly started dying. First, the roots became rotten and then the vines died."

Alam showed some dead vines in his field when this correspondent visited the area yesterday. He added that he had never seen such a disease in the area in the 10 years he has been cultivating watermelons.

Abdur Razzak Howlader, another farmer of the same area, said, "there was heavy rainfall in the area about 15 days ago, and the disease was detected after that."

Sahil Dhalee of the same village said cultivating watermelon is profitable as there is great demand for the fruit all over the country.

Many wholesalers from Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna and other areas come to the area to buy watermelons, but this year the vines are dying just before the melons ripen, he said.

This disease is found in different areas in the district but is rampant in Rangalbali and Galachipa upazilas.

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources in Patuakhali said a total of 17,020 hectares of land in all eight upazilas of the district were cultivated with watermelons this year, a slight rise from last year.

Watermelon farming is popular as it is a profitable crop due to good water availability, favourable weather and suitable land, said M A Mannan, Galachipa upazila agriculture extension officer.

 'Wilting' disease is caused by increasing salinity, he said. "We are advising farmers to irrigate the whole field to prevent the disease," he added.