Iqbal Hossain Sohel has succeeded in growing summer watermelon in Mirsarai, Chattogram. Growing the fruit for the first time, he has surprised everyone, and others are now becoming interested in summer watermelon. Local people who mocked him when he began are now praising him. Iqbal is the son of Jamshed Alam of Masjidia village in Khoiyachhara union of Mirsarai upazila.

Last year he sharecropped 50 decimals near his home and grew winter tomatoes and cucumbers. Then, with the help of the upazila agriculture office, he grew summer watermelon on the same land for the first time, using mulching. He sowed the seed in July this year after preparing the land and is now waiting to sell. Mulching and organic methods have been used.

The watermelon has been grown on two adjoining plots of 25 decimals each. The field is fenced with net on all sides. Bunches of watermelons hang from every plant, each fruit held in a bag, in various sizes and colours. Iqbal tends the field with his younger brother and two workers. Pheromone traps and yellow cards are used to control insects.

"After passing HSC I opened a shop selling garment items in Mirsarai municipal headquarters. It was doing fairly well, but business went very badly during the coronavirus period and never recovered," Iqbal said. "Then I started watching modern farming on YouTube and social media and decided to take up farming as a profession. Last year I sharecropped 50 decimals near home and grew winter tomatoes and cucumbers. When the land was free, I started summer watermelon on the advice of the sub-assistant agriculture officer for the union."

"The upazila agriculture office gave me 10 bags of seed, mulch and pheromone traps. The field has been prepared entirely by organic and mulching methods. I have grown Yellow Gold, Blackberry and Tripti varieties, along with some Rock Melon. Mulching paper has been laid for the plants, and the fruit is bagged and hung from a trellis above," he said.

Iqbal said that apart from the agriculture office's help, he has spent about Tk 1 lakh. Each watermelon weighs 1-4 kg. "I will start selling in the next few days and am looking for wholesalers who will pay a good price. Watermelon is now selling retail at Tk 100 a kg. I hope to get about 4 tonnes from the 50 decimals. With a fair price, sales of Tk 3 to 3.5 lakh are possible."

Mirsarai upazila agriculture officer Pratap Chandra Roy said: "The soil in this area is suitable for watermelon. Iqbal has succeeded in growing summer watermelon for the first time. Besides all kinds of support from the agriculture office, we inspect the field. Because summer watermelon is a high-value crop, farmers besides Iqbal are showing interest."

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