Jaintapur's Watermelon Boom: From fallow lands to flourishing fields | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Thursday
June 12, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2025
Jaintapur's Watermelon Boom: From fallow lands to flourishing fields

Agriculture

UNB
22 February, 2025, 12:00 pm
Last modified: 22 February, 2025, 12:10 pm

Related News

  • Possible to supply pesticides at 30-40% lower prices with govt assistance: NAC MD
  • Bumper garlic yield, fair price delight Rangpur farmers
  • Driver, helper killed as truck crashes into tree in Faridpur
  • Barishal farmer killed while reportedly preventing youths from stealing watermelon
  • How going viral backfired for a watermelon seller in Karwan Bazar

Jaintapur's Watermelon Boom: From fallow lands to flourishing fields

UNB
22 February, 2025, 12:00 pm
Last modified: 22 February, 2025, 12:10 pm
The Sarighat South Bazar area along the Sylhet-Tamabil highway is a sight to behold, where vendors line both sides of the road, their stalls brimming with watermelons. Photo: UNB
The Sarighat South Bazar area along the Sylhet-Tamabil highway is a sight to behold, where vendors line both sides of the road, their stalls brimming with watermelons. Photo: UNB

A sea of lush green vines sprawls across the fields of Jaintapur, each cradling vibrant watermelons that glisten under the late winter sun.

This year, the farmers of this upazila in Sylhet have reaped a bumper harvest, with their produce not only flooding local markets but also making its way to wholesale hubs in Dhaka, Cumilla, and Chattogram.

The Sarighat South Bazar area along the Sylhet-Tamabil highway is a sight to behold, where vendors line both sides of the road, their stalls brimming with the summer fruit.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

Trucks and covered vans constantly load fresh watermelons, carrying them to eager buyers across the country.

Meanwhile, tourists and picnickers pause along the highway, drawn by the sweet scent of freshly harvested melons, picking up a few to savour.

Fallow lands turn into thriving fields

Jaintapur has seen a transformation in its agricultural landscape in recent years.

Farmers, who once left vast tracts of land uncultivated, are now successfully growing watermelons on these very plots. What started as an experiment on just 20 hectares of fallow land has now expanded to an additional five hectares this season.

According to the Jaintapur office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), watermelons have been cultivated on 130 hectares of land across six unions.

The upazila set a production target of 3,770 metric tonnes, a goal that has nearly been met.

"This season, 650 farmers have cultivated watermelons, and 110 of them have received demonstration plots with government support," a DAE official said.

Through this initiative, farmers were provided with high-quality seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides under the agricultural support programme.

A rewarding season for farmers

For local farmers, the success of this year's watermelon harvest is both encouraging and financially rewarding.

Salman Ahmed, a resident of Ward No. 7 in Jaintapur Union, cultivated watermelons on 12 bighas of land in Chatlarpar.

With an initial investment of around Tk 2 lakh, he has already earned Tk 4.8 lakh and expects to make an additional Tk 4 lakh by the end of the season.

"The return has been promising, but higher irrigation costs due to rising fuel prices and transportation difficulties caused by river erosion remain significant challenges," Salman noted.

Another farmer, Nur Uddin from Vitrikhel in Ward No. 8, received a demonstration plot from the agriculture department and cultivated watermelons on 6.5 bighas of land.

He has already earned Tk 1.5 lakh and is hopeful of doubling his income by the season's end.

Like Salman, he also stressed the need for better irrigation facilities. "Installing a deep tube-well or providing subsidised irrigation pumps could greatly ease the burden on farmers like us," he said.

Diverse varieties and high yields

This season, Jaintapur farmers have focused on cultivating popular watermelon varieties such as Banglalink, Anarkali and Glory.

The highest production has been recorded in Nizpat and Jaintapur unions, where 40 and 55 hectares of land, respectively, have been dedicated to watermelon farming.

Other unions, including Charikata, Darbast, Fatehpur and Chiknagul, have also contributed significantly to the harvest.

Jaintapur Upazila Agriculture Officer Shamima Akhtar highlighted the department's ongoing efforts to support farmers. "Through demonstration plots, training programmes, and field inspections, we are helping farmers improve their yields. Under the Climate Agriculture and Water Management Project, they have received subsidised seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides," she said.

She expressed optimism about expanding watermelon cultivation to more fallow lands in the coming years, ensuring greater prosperity for local farmers.

Bangladesh's watermelon boom

Watermelon cultivation has become a vital source of income for farmers across Bangladesh.

In 2021–2022, the country produced a record 25.47 lakh tonnes of watermelons, making it a major producer of the fruit.

The top watermelon-producing districts include Patuakhali, Khulna, Bhola, Noakhali and Barguna.

As demand for the fruit continues to rise, experts believe that Bangladesh has significant potential to export watermelons in the future.

With government support and improved agricultural practices, farmers like those in Jaintapur could not only meet domestic demand but also tap into international markets.

For now, as the watermelon season peaks, Jaintapur's farmers relish the fruits of their labour—both literally and financially.

Bangladesh / Top News

watermelon / agricultural / cultivation

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Screenshots of the Air India plane taking off and exploding before crashing in Ahmedabad on 12 June. Photo: BSS/AFP
    'Many killed' as Air India plane with 242 on board crashes near India's Ahmedabad airport
  • Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur. TBS Sketch
    Bangladesh considering settlements with tycoons over offshore wealth: Mansur tells FT
  • Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury speaks to journalists in Salna, Gazipur, on 12 June 2025. Photo: TBS
    No bar to Tarique Rahman returning to Bangladesh: Home adviser

MOST VIEWED

  • File photo of ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Photo: Collected
    Joy spends Eid with Hasina in India: Indian media
  • Infofgraphics: TBS
    DGHS issues 11-point directive to prevent spread of Covid-19 in Bangladesh
  • Saifuzzaman Chowdhury. Photo: Collected
    UK crime agency now freezes assets of ex-land minister Saifuzzaman: AJ
  • File photo of BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. Photo: Collected
    Khasru flies to London ahead of Yunus-Tarique meeting
  • Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus speaks at the Chatham House in London on 11 June 2025. Photo: CA Press Wing
    No desire to be part of next elected govt: CA Yunus
  • Illustration: Khandaker Abidur Rahman/TBS
    Three hospitals ‘held hostage’ as discharged July uprising injured keep occupying beds

Related News

  • Possible to supply pesticides at 30-40% lower prices with govt assistance: NAC MD
  • Bumper garlic yield, fair price delight Rangpur farmers
  • Driver, helper killed as truck crashes into tree in Faridpur
  • Barishal farmer killed while reportedly preventing youths from stealing watermelon
  • How going viral backfired for a watermelon seller in Karwan Bazar

Features

Among pet birds in the country, lovebirds are the most common, and they are also the most numerous in the haat. Photo: Junayet Rashel

Where feathers meet fortune: How a small pigeon stall became Dhaka’s premiere bird market

22h | Panorama
Illustration: Duniya Jahan/ TBS

Forget Katy Perry, here’s Bangladesh’s Ruthba Yasmin shooting for the moon

1d | Features
File photo of Eid holidaymakers returning to the capital from their country homes/Rajib Dhar

Dhaka: The city we never want to return to, but always do

3d | Features
Photo collage shows political posters in Bagerhat. Photos: Jannatul Naym Pieal

From Sheikh Dynasty to sibling rivalry: Bagerhat signals a turning tide in local politics

5d | Bangladesh

More Videos from TBS

When will coronavirus testing start in hospitals?

When will coronavirus testing start in hospitals?

5m | TBS Today
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury's property seized in UK

Saifuzzaman Chowdhury's property seized in UK

1h | TBS Today
A tragic accident has occurred in Ahmedabad, India, involving an Air India Boeing 787

A tragic accident has occurred in Ahmedabad, India, involving an Air India Boeing 787

1h | TBS World
Delhi on Boil: Red Alert as Temperatures Soar

Delhi on Boil: Red Alert as Temperatures Soar

3h | TBS Stories
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net