Photo : Collected
Over 4.5 tonnes of watermelon is expected to be produced as 721 hectares more land came under the farming against the fixed target set up by the department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) of Khulna agricultural region.
Watermelon growers in the coastal districts are happy with bumper yield and satisfactory prices of their production in local markets. This year, the DAE of Khulna agriculture region has fixed a target for farming over 12,612 hectares of land with a production target of 4,56,057 tonnes of watermelon in four districts of Khulna agricultural region.
Watermelons were farming on 13,333 hectares of land, exceeded by 721 hectares of land against the target, said an official of the DAE in Khulna region. Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Khulna Zone, Mohon Kumar Ghosh said favorable weather, irrigation facilities, adequate fertilizers and full support of the DAE are the main reasons for the bumper yielding of the popular summer fruit.
While visiting this reporter on Friday (15 March), 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 10 bighas of land this year. Due to bumper production, in the beginning, I was able to sell the watermelon at a cost of Taka one lakh per bigha. The price will be decreased as the harvesting is going on in full swing, said Suruj Ali, a watermelon grower of Bajua village in Dakop.
"I'm optimistic that I'll be able to sell watermelon worth about Taka seven lakh more from the rest of the land," he added. Hashem Uddin, a watermelon grower of Jharvanga, a remote village of Batiaghata upazila said the watermelon weighing around five-kg is selling for Taka 300 to Taka 400 this year while it was only Taka 250 to Taka 300 in the last year.
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, Hashem Uddin said, adding that the average price of each watermelon is over Taka 350.
Ali Hasan, a whole seller of Borobazar area, said if the supply in the market increases, the price will also decrease. As the government is monitoring the markets, there is no scope to increase the wholesale price.
Mamun, a retail seller of KDA kitchen market, said last year, he bought 100 pieces of watermelons at a cost of Taka 12,000 to Taka 13,000. "But this year, I have to buy 100 average-size watermelons at a cost of Taka 20,000 to 25,000. So, retail is selling at Taka 80 to Taka 90 per kg," he added.
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