Bumper yield brings smile to watermelon growers in Khulna

Watermelon growers in the coastal districts are happy with bumper yield and satisfactory prices of their production in local markets.

Watermelon growers in the coastal districts are happy with bumper yield and satisfactory prices of their production in local markets.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Khulna said this yearwatermelons have been grown over 24,000 hectares of land in four districts of the region.  Favorable weather, irrigation facilities, adequate fertilizers and full support of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are the main reasons for the bumper yielding of the popular summer fruit, said Faridul Hasan, deputy director of the DAE in Khulna region.
Growers are expecting to profit Taka over 100 crore after selling the juicy fruit during the season, he hoped.
 While visiting this reporter on Sunday, farmers in Dakop upazila were seen
harvesting the fruits and later loading those onto trucks, pickup, and trawlers to sell in different places including Dhaka, Jashore, Khulna, Satkhira, Pirojpur, Bagerhat, Gopalganj and elsewhere in the country.
"I have cultivated watermelon on one acre of land this year at a cost of Taka 40,000 and I've already sold the fruit around 50 decimals of land at Taka 1.20 lakh," said Ranjit Roy, a watermelon grower of Bajua village in Dakop.
"I'm optimistic that I'll be able to sell watermelon worth about Taka two lakh more from the rest of the land," he added.
The fruit weighing around five-kg is selling for Taka 250 to Taka 300 this year while it was only Taka 200 to Taka 225 in the last year, said Mrittunjoy Roy, a watermelon grower of Jharvanga village under Batiaghata upazila.
"This year, farmers face early rain that is helpful to influence the bumperproduction of the watermelon. That's why the size of the juicy fruit is good
and colour is also brighter than earlier and the fruit is delicious and fresh to eat," he said.
 "However, many farmers had to bear additional production costs to check insects that affected the fruit," Mrittunjoy said, adding that last year watermelons grew 20 percent less compared with the current season due to rain.
In the peak season, wholesale traders from different areas including Dhaka come to Khulna region specially Dumuria, Dakop and Batiaghata upazilas to buy the fruit.