NATORE. June 5: Cultivation of a new hybrid variety of sweet pumpkin is gaining popularity among the growers and consumers here.

This family size sweet ■•pumpkin weighing 1 to 1.5 kg ■ ligmws within 40 to-45 days after, [plantation. About 8.000 pieces of sweet pumpkin worth about Taka 40.000 can be produced on a bigha of land a year with an estimated production cost of Taka 10.000.

This variety is not perishable like the local varieties for its hard skin. It grows well on comparatively highland where rainwater does not stay long. This fruit has a potential market in the northern region of the country.

Evolved in Japan in 1995, this variety is now being widely

cultivated in Taiwan. Singapore. Thailand and South Korea. Bangladesh government started Importing seeds of this variety in 1997 and it came to Natore in the very next year.

Natore Horticulture Centre started its cultivation on experimental basis. NHC also started distributing saplings of this variety to the farmers.

Later on. finding growing demand in local markets, farmers of 18 villages under NHC's service areas have started cultivation of this variety of sweet pumpkin widely.

Horticulturist Ayub Hossain Khan said. "We are trying to convince the farmers to grow this variety to improve the nutritional status of poor people of the district considering its food value."