Harvest delights farmers on shoals

Cultivation of early varieties of watermelon on remote shoals in Rangabali upazila of Patuakhali has brought smiles to farmers. Land after land in Jahakmara and Char Kalagacchia areas is now full with the mellow fruits and the growers are also happy getting good prices.

Cultivation of watermelon, one of the main crops of the district, usually starts from January but farmers in Jahajmara and Kalagachhia area cultivate early varieties in November which are harvested from mid-February.

During a recent visit, this correspondent talked with a farmer Shahjul Mir, who was irrigating his land. He said that many farmers, who don't have their own lands, have brought the fallow land of Char Kalagacchia under watermelon cultivation. This year he has cultivated three acres of land spending Tk one lakh twenty thousand.

He has sold 300 watermelons. The price of each is Tk 250 to 300. There are still five lakh watermelons on the field. It is sent to Dhaka at the beginning of the season because good prices are available there.

Shahjul further said that watermelon cultivation requires a lot of water but the water on the sea shore is saline. As it is not so easy to get sweet water, one must dig a well to get it.

Another farmer Mahmudul Hasan said he has cultivated watermelon on five acres of land. He had to spend Tk two lakh fifty thousand.

Meanwhile, traders from different parts of the country including Dhaka have come here to buy early variety watermelons.

Trader Abul Kalam from Dhaka said last season the price of watermelon was Tk 80-Tk 100, this time it has to be bought at Tk 150-Tk 300. There is a huge demand for watermelon in this area.

Upazila Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Humayun Kabir said the early varieties of watermelon were cultivated on about 200 acres of land in Jahajmara and Char Kalagacchia last year. But this year the amount of land will exceed 300 hectares.

Monirul Islam, upazila agriculture officer, said salinity of water is the main problem for watermelon cultivation here. Sweet water has to be drawn by digging wells. Plans have been taken to install deep tube wells to facilitate irrigation.

Patuakhali Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Md Mohiuddin said watermelon has been planted on 22,500 hectares of land in eight upazilas of the district so far this year.