Two young entrepreneurs in Jibannagar upazila of Chuadanga, Jasim Hossain and Rajib Hasan, have done well with rock melon, the sammam melon popular in the Middle East. Starting with a trial on 1.5 bighas, they had a good crop within three months. Dinajpur TV reported the story.
The friends started in June this year. They spent about Tk 1.5 lakh, have already sold Tk 4 lakh worth of fruit, and expect about Tk 3 lakh more. The plants flower within 30 days of planting, fruit sets 40 to 45 days after pollination, and ripening began in early September. Yield is about 400 maunds a bigha.
They sell online across the country, including Dhaka, at Tk 100 a kilo. Depending on the region the fruit is also called sweet melon, musk melon or honeydew; the rind may be green or yellow by variety, but the flesh is sweet and juicy.
According to the agriculture department, rock melon is now grown on about 60 to 70 bighas in Jibannagar. The department believes it can be a profitable crop with modern methods, and Jasim and Rajib plan to expand commercially.
Photo: Scott Bauer, USDA / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Dinajpur TV
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