The monsoon has begun and the fields of Bhola are now surrounded by water. Farmers have turned to growing summer watermelon, but with the risk of disaster in mind they have adopted the sorjan method to protect the crop. Only a few farmers used this method before; seeing their success, this year all the farmers growing watermelon in the monsoon have taken it up.

Visits to Bhola Sadar, Charfashion and Lalmohan upazilas found farmers growing summer watermelon this monsoon. Some planted about a month ago; some plants are about a month and a half old. The fruit will start to set within days, so the farmers are busy tending their fields.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the On-Farm Research Division in Bhola said that so far this year 25 farmers have grown summer watermelon in Bhola Sadar, Borhanuddin, Lalmohan, Charfashion and Manpura. Farmers in those upazilas are growing varieties including BARI-1, BARI-2, Black Baby, Black King, Sweet Dragon and Dragon King.

Md Yusuf, a farmer from the North Madras area of Charfashion municipality, said he was growing summer watermelon for the first time this year after seeing other farmers do it. A month ago he planted the RABI-1 and RABI-2 varieties, as the report gives them, on about 3 decimals of land with help from the On-Farm Research Division.

Because it is the monsoon, he said, he divided the field into high beds and channels using the sorjan method, so water will not stand in the field and rainwater will drain into the channels. He then planted the watermelon seedlings on the high beds and built a trellis. The watermelons can be sold within 75 days. The plants are now about a month old and will set fruit in a few days.

Farmers Md Monir Hossain of the Mia Jahanpur area in Char Madras union of the same upazila and Md Jasim of Char Fakira village in Hazariganj union said that this year he had grown the Yellow Gold and Black Baby varieties of summer watermelon on trellises on 50 decimals of land using the sorjan method. The plants have flowered and will soon bear fruit.

Md Saiful Islam of the North Sakuchia area of Manpura upazila said he had grown several varieties of summer watermelon, including Black Baby, Black King and Yellow Gold, on about 150 decimals of land this year. He has been growing summer watermelon for the past three years. He used trellises before, but this year he has used the sorjan method. He earned about Tk 1 lakh last year and hopes to earn Tk 1.5 lakh this year.

Jasim Mia, a farmer from Mangal Sikdar village in Dholigournagar union of Lalmohan upazila, said he had been growing summer watermelon since last year. Last year his field was partly damaged by excessive rain and he did not have much success. This year he used the sorjan method so the field would not be ruined by heavy rain. When this watermelon reaches the market there is not much other fruit around, so demand and prices are high, he said.

Md Rashidul Hasan Anik, scientific officer in Bhola of the On-Farm Research Division of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), said summer or off-season watermelon is a profitable crop. It is sold at a time in the monsoon when there is not much fruit around, so people buy it. Off-season watermelon can be sold within 75 days of planting the seedlings.

He said farmers are given demonstration plots for summer or off-season watermelon every year. When they succeed with a demonstration, they grow the crop on more land the following year. Farmers are always given advice on growing this watermelon, and the sorjan method is being used to protect the crop from losses caused by climate change. Farmers are being advised to use this method.

Md Khairul Islam Mallik, deputy director of the DAE in Bhola, said: "Summer watermelon used to be grown very little in Bhola. Farmers were not interested. Now, seeing others succeed, the number of farmers is growing day by day. So far summer watermelon has been planted on about 15 acres in Bhola Sadar, Borhanuddin, Lalmohan, Charfashion and Manpura upazilas."

He said: "We are giving farmers all kinds of help, advice and demonstration plots. Farmers are succeeding with summer or off-season watermelon and making good profits. I hope cultivation of this watermelon will increase further in Bhola."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.