Off-season watermelon cultivation gains popularity among Khulna farmers

Mrityunjoy Mondal, a farmer of Chhotobond village in Sahas Union of Dumuria, become self-reliance through cultivating off-season watermelons. 

Standing on his watermelon field, he expressed satisfaction over the bumper yield and hoped to make a handsome profit due to the higher market demand for off-season watermelons.

Off-season watermelon cultivation has brought remarkable success to farmers in Dumuria upazila of Khulna, creating fresh hope and enthusiasm among local farmers.

"Initially, I was somewhat worried about cultivating watermelon during the off-season. But with proper advice from the agriculture office and regular care, I have achieved an excellent yield," he told BSS.

Mondal said off-season watermelons usually have higher demand and better prices in the market.

"I expect to earn nearly double the production cost. Seeing my success, other farmers in the area are also showing interest in cultivating off-season watermelons using the trellis method," Mrityunjoy added.

He cultivated the "Aastha" variety of watermelon on 40 decimals of land at a total cost of about Taka 20,000.

He expects an initial production of around 42 maunds of watermelons, which could fetch about Taka 84,000 at the rate of Taka 50 per kg.

He also expects additional sales worth around Taka 25,000, taking the total estimated sales to Taka 109,000. His estimated net profit stands at around Taka 89,000.

Watermelons are now hanging from trellises in different fields of Sahas Union, where farmers have adopted modern cultivation methods to grow the popular fruit outside its traditional season.

Dumuria Upazila Agriculture Officer Nazmul Huda said the Department of Agricultural Extension provided farmers with high quality seeds, conducted regular field visits and offered technical advice on modern trellis cultivation.

"Despite salinity and adverse weather conditions, farmers like Mrityunjoy Mondal have achieved this excellent result through their hard work and proper application of modern farming technology," he said.

Talking to BSS, Khulna Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Nazrul Islam said off-season watermelon cultivation has opened a new horizon for the economy of farmers in the coastal region.

Off-season watermelon farming, supported by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and financed under the Agricultural Development Project for the Region, has encouraged local farmers to adopt the high-value crop due to its short production cycle, relatively low cultivation cost and high yield.

A total of 85 percent of off-season watermelons were cultivated till August 18 in the agriculture region-covering Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Narail.

The DAE has set a target to produce around 37,000 tonnes of watermelon from 1,229 hectares of land across four districts in the agricultural region.

A recent visit to Chhotobond, Tipna and Kalikapur villages under Shovna, Kharnia, Sahos and Sharafpur Unions of Dumuria upazila in Khulna, revealed extensive watermelon cultivation using modern farming techniques.

Farmer Rahmat Ali, Habibul Islam, AlauddinGazi and Swapna Mondal of Tipna village cultivated hybrid varieties 'Smart Boy' and 'Mim Astha' on 15 bighas of land using the mulching method.

 The field was ready for harvest within 60 to 65 days of transplanting.

They received seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, other agricultural inputs and cash assistance from the Upazila Agriculture Office.

They sold watermelons at wholesale prices ranging from Taka 60 to Taka 70 per kilogram, earning around Taka 25 lakh from their lands, they said on Thursday. 

Additional Director of Khulna DAE Rafiqul Islam said farmers are more interested in watermelon cultivation than shrimp farming now.

The DAE official added that off-season watermelon cultivation is less expensive than seasonal cultivation, and no irrigation is required due to sufficient rainfall.