Entrepreneur Kamruzzaman Khan has begun selling rockmelon, the desert fruit known locally as sammam, from a plot in Kapasia, Gazipur. He is growing it on about 8.5 bighas of leased land in the Uttar Khamar area of Targaon union and hopes to sell Tk 6 lakh to Tk 7 lakh worth of fruit this season.

The crop is grown on mulching film on the advice of the agriculture department, with the fruiting vines trained onto trellises. The land costs Tk 15,000 a bigha a year in rent. Kamruzzaman, from Suryanarayanpur village, has already sold about Tk 50,000 of fruit, at Tk 80-100 a kilogram to wholesalers this month.

By the farmer's and labourers' reckoning, about Tk 1 lakh has been spent on the plot so far; rent, wages, seed, fertiliser, irrigation, mulching film and trellises will push the total cost higher. Kamruzzaman said a new fruit carries risk at first but the yield and price have made him hopeful, though prices could fall if production grows.

According to the local agriculture office, sammam usually takes 75 to 90 days to produce, and with regular care and good management a bigha can bring in Tk 2 lakh to Tk 3 lakh, though actual income will depend on yield, market price and costs.

Syed Shakil Ahmed, additional agriculture officer in Kapasia, said the loam soils of the old Brahmaputra and Shitalakshya basins in Targaon, Tok, Barishab and Sonmania suit rockmelon, but a good yield needs regular care, irrigation, disease control and timely harvesting.

Neighbouring farmers have been visiting the plot to ask about the investment, the time to harvest, the soil it needs and the market price.

Reported by Krishi Shomoy's Gazipur correspondent.

Source: Krishi Shomoy