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Watermelon farming on the rise in Patuakhali

Bumper yield, good prices make growers happy

SOHRAB HOSSAIN, Pat Mali
Farmers of the district, especially in sandy lands of coastal islands, are getting encouraged to cultivate watermelon on more areas of land as the popular summer fruit brings more profit than traditional crops including paddy.
This year 13,368 hectares of land in seven upazilas under the district has been brought under watermelon cultivation while it was 10,250 hectares last year, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Patuakhali.
The district's total production may cross six lakh tonnes, the value being Tk 110 crore, they said.
Land of Rangabali, Galachipa and Kalapara upazilas see large areas of watermelon fields as those are very suitable for watermelon cultivation due to soil, weather condition, availability of irrigation water, said Md Ziaul Islam, crop specialist of DAE in Patuakhali.
Of them, Rangabali upazila sees the highest 4,510 hectares of land under watermelon cultivation this year.
Now retail market prices of large, medium and small sized watermelons are Tk 130-150, Tk 70-80 and Tk 40-50 at par respectively.
Sandy soil in the area is very much suitable for watermelon cultivation and a good number of rivers and canals there provide irrigation facility, said Lutfur Rahman, assistant plant preserver of DAE in Rangabali upazila.
Local farmers are encouraged to cultivate watermelon, as it is more profitable than paddy, he added.
During the ongoing harvesting season, traders from different areas of the country are coming to buy watermelon from the fields in the district.
During a visit to Koralia village under Rangabali upazila on Sunday, this correspondent saw many farmers and their family members busy with reaping watermelon from the fields, and/or loading it to trawlers, launches and boats to send it to different places including Dhaka, Rajshahi, Bogra and
Khulna.
"I cultivated watermelon on my 20 acres of land, spendingTk about 2 lakh. I have already sold watermelon worth Tk about 5 lakh and hope to get Tk 20 lakh more by selling rest of the produce," said Abbas Uddin Howladar, a watermelon farmer of Koralia village in Rangabali upazila.
Abdur Rahman, another farmer of the same area, cultivated watermelon on 15 acres of land.
"I hope to earn Tk 20 to 25 lakh by selling watermelon this year. We are very happy to see bumper yield of watermelon," he said.
"Cultivation of watermelon is more profitable
than that of paddy and 1 think it can help to change our lot. I hope to earn at least Tk 25 lakh by selling the fruit this year as many wholesale buyers from Dhaka and other places are coming here to buy it," said Abdul Awal Mia of the same village.
"Seeing our success, more and more farmers are engaging in watermelon cultivation in the area," he added.
Farmers have urged the government to set up cold storages in the area to preserve watermelon properly.
They also demanded taking step to export the delicious fruit abroad for getting higher prices.