Bumper yield, good prices make farmers happy

Watermelon farmers of different char (sandy land) areas of the district are happy with its bumper production and satisfactory price this year.

Growers are now selling the popular summer fruit in their fields and wholesalers from different areas including Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi are buying the item to carry it by trucks, cargo boats and launches.

Sixty-five thousand acres of land has been brought under watermelon cultivation in eight upazilas of the district this year, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Patuakhali.

Galachipa upazila sees the highest cultivation area of 15,500 acres of land, followed by Kalapara upazila with 13,500 acres.

The two upazilas along with Rangabali in the district are most suitable for watermelon cultivation due to fertile soil and availability of irrigation water, DAE officials said.

Visiting char areas of Rangabali upazila, this correspondent saw most of the fields full of watermelon and farmers busy harvesting and selling the fruit.

In this upazila, 8,046 acres of land has been brought under watermelon cultivation this year while the area was 4,510 acres in 2014 and 3,100 acres in 2013.

Earlier, most of the local farmers cultivated only paddy on their land but now they cultivate watermelon as an additional crop as it earns more money, local farmers said, adding that this year's total production may exceed 15 lakh tonnes.

"Sandy char areas with irrigation facilities from rivers and canals in the region are very much suitable for watermelon cultivation. We are interested to cultivate watermelon on our land as it is more profitable than paddy," said Abdul Hai, a farmer of Baher Char village under Rangabali upazila.

Ruhul Amin, another watermelon farmer of Koralia village under the same upazila, said, "I cultivated watermelon on 15 acres of land and spent about Tk 2.5 lakh. I have already sold the fruit worth about Tk 4 lakh and hope to get Tk about 20 lakh by selling the rest." 

Many day labourers are also happy as they can earn money by working in watermelon fields, instead of going to other places in search of work.

Md Lutfur Rahman, plant preservation officer of agriculture extension office in Rangabali, said watermelon cultivation started 10 to 12 years ago in this upazila and increasing number of farmers are now engaging in cultivating this summer fruit as soil, weather, and water are very suitable.

Cultivation of watermelon has spread in around 100 coastal islands in Rangabali, Galachipa, Kalapara, Dashmina, and Baufal upazilas under the district, he said.

"We are motivating the farmers, especially in char areas, to cultivate watermelon as it earns good profit," said Ashok Kumar Sharma, deputy director of DAE in Patuakhali.