Young farmer Abu Bakkar Siddique of Chandipasha village in Pakundia upazila, Kishoreganj, has caused a stir by growing Black Queen watermelon out of season. In just 70 days he has earned more than Tk 1 lakh from 40 decimals of land.

On his land, black watermelons of various shapes hang from small trellises. Because they are deep red inside and sweet, wholesalers from around the district are crowding to buy them straight from the field.

The upazila agriculture office says watermelon is a profitable crop: in just 70 to 75 days, at a cost of Tk 30,000 to 35,000 per bigha, farmers are making Tk 1 lakh to Tk 1.5 lakh. That is why watermelon cultivation is growing in the upazila. This season watermelon has been grown on 15 bigha, mostly in Chandipasha and some in Burudia union. As part of the shift from subsistence to commercial farming, field officers are advising and helping farmers regularly.

Abu Bakkar said he grew the variety on the advice of sub-assistant agriculture officer Jahangir Alam. It cost him about Tk 40,000. He has already sold Tk 1 lakh worth of watermelon, and by the end of the season sales will reach about Tk 2.5 lakh to Tk 3 lakh, for a profit of about Tk 1.5 lakh, he said.

"I used to grow rice or vegetables, and the profit was low. Growing watermelon I have gained much more. Seeing mine, several young men nearby have also started growing Black Queen watermelon, and their yields are good too," he said.

Local farmer Hazrat Ali said: "Abu Bakkar has had great success growing watermelon out of season. Next year I too will grow this variety with the agriculture office's help."

Jahangir Alam, sub-assistant agriculture officer for the Chandipasha block, said: "We give farmers regular advice in the field on how to get a good yield at low cost and earn more. Upazila agriculture officer Nur-e-Alam also takes time to come to the field, talk to farmers and give the necessary guidance."

Pakundia upazila agriculture officer Nur-e-Alam said: "This season Black Queen watermelon has been grown on 15 bigha in the upazila, and farmers are getting good prices. Black Queen is a special variety brought from Taiwan, and each fruit weighs 3 to 5 kg on average. It can be grown all year round except in winter. More land will come under it in future."

Having profited from off-season watermelon, Abu Bakkar Siddique now wants the agriculture department's support to grow Black Queen on a larger scale.

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