Three brothers began growing bottle gourd using organic farming and biological pest management under a project for agricultural development through modern technology. With few diseases and little risk, they have succeeded. Because no poison was used, the gourds are also very tasty. Seeing the brothers' success, local farmers are now becoming interested in growing bottle gourd.

The crop fields of Bahadursadi village in Kaliganj upazila, Gazipur, are surrounded by wide stretches of paddy. In the middle, union parishad member Ponir Mia and his two brothers, Chan Mia and Chini Mia, have grown bottle gourd on trellises on about one and a half bighas. The three are hard-working farmers, and along with their labour, sound advice from the agriculture office and the sub-assistant agriculture officers of their block has brought them success.

They have used pheromone traps, yellow traps, organic pesticides and organic fertiliser. The plants flowered within a month and a half of sowing, and gourds appeared soon after. The brothers pick the gourds and take them to market, and wholesalers also collect them from their home. They have sold about a thousand gourds so far, and the same number can still be sold.

The eldest brother, Chan Mia, 55, said: "The three of us have grown a high-yielding variety of bottle gourd on one and a half bighas. The yield on the trellises is good. We have sold about a thousand gourds so far, and what is left will also sell for good money. We sometimes take gourds to the market, but most of the time wholesalers come to our home and buy them."

The middle brother, union parishad member Ponir Mia, 40, said: "For several years the three of us have grown various vegetables together. This time we grew bottle gourd on one and a half bighas and the yield is very good. If all goes well, we will grow bottle gourd again."

The youngest brother, Chini Mia, 35, said: "The upazila agriculture office and the sub-assistant agriculture officers of the block help the three of us in every way."

Kaliganj upazila agriculture officer Farzana Taslim, an agriculturist, said: "The three brothers became interested in growing bottle gourd. We gave them a demonstration plot under the project for safe crops using environment-friendly techniques. Seeing their good yield, neighbouring farmers are now also becoming interested in growing the vegetable."

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