A bumper crop of ash gourd (chal kumra) in Netrokona district this year has brought smiles to farmers' faces. The gourds have been grown on fallow land in the haor areas and other upazilas, and farmers are making several times their costs.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) says hundreds of hectares in Netrokona used to lie uncultivated or fallow for various reasons. The Prime Minister's call that "not an inch of land should be left fallow", the agriculture department's publicity, training, demonstrations, mechanisation, incentives, a revolution in the farm sector and the needs of the times have gradually encouraged farmers to cultivate fallow land.

Through efforts over the past few years, 2,955 hectares of uncultivated land in Netrokona have been brought under cultivation. In the current rabi season, ash gourd has been grown on 265 hectares in the district. With favourable weather there has been a bumper crop, and farmers are happy with the good market price. After meeting local demand, the pesticide-free ash gourd is supplied every day to Dhaka and other districts.

The local agriculture department expects about 6,500 tonnes of ash gourd to be produced in the district this year, with an estimated market value of Tk 26 crore. Rabi crops have yielded bumper harvests this year in 30 villages, including Hirakanda, Hatimanji, Rahimpur, Chanduail, Badam Toil, Palpara, Dhopapara, Chandigarh and Beltali Konapara in Kalmakanda upazila, and Dhalpur and Singdha in Barhatta upazila. Because vegetables are more profitable than rice, many have grown ash gourd, bottle gourd, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, amaranth stems and other vegetables on their land.

The local agriculture department says 25–26 tonnes of ash gourd are being produced per hectare. Farmers say 50–60 maunds are being produced on every 10 decimals, or 1 katha. Each ash gourd is sold to local wholesalers for Tk 40–50 on average, so farmers are earning Tk 50,000–60,000 from 1 katha.

Shafiqul Alam Jui of Narallapara, a village on the Indian border in Kalmakanda upazila, said: "Hundreds of acres in these hilly border areas used to lie uncultivated and fallow. People here went short of food, clothing, housing, education and treatment. The very poor went to Dhaka, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Chattogram and elsewhere looking for work, and many who found none got involved in smuggling and other crimes on the border."

He said: "Now that uncultivated and fallow land has been brought under cultivation, rice and all kinds of vegetables are increasing. Farmers have become self-reliant growing bottle gourd, cucumber, aubergine, ridge gourd, cabbage, tomatoes, ash gourd and other rabi crops in their yards and on cultivated and uncultivated land. Last time I earned Tk 9 lakh growing ash gourd, pumpkin and cauliflower on one and a half acres. This time I have grown ash gourd, tomatoes, aubergine and groundnuts on two and a half acres. So far I have sold Tk 3 lakh of ash gourd, tomatoes and aubergine. I hope to earn Tk 20 lakh this year."

Sayedur Rahman, a farmer in Kalihala village, Rangchhati union, said: "I have grown gourds on 5 katha of sharecropped land and have sold Tk 30,000 of gourds so far."

Abdur Rahim, a farmer in Dhalpur village, Barhatta upazila, said: "A lot of my land used to lie fallow. This year I grew ash gourd on 30 katha. The yield is good. Local wholesalers are buying straight from the field at Tk 40,000 to 50,000 per maund."

Agriculturist Mohammad Nuruzzaman, deputy director of the DAE in Netrokona, said: "Because good vegetables are being produced on fallow land, farmers are becoming more interested in growing vegetables day by day. As a result, 2,955 hectares of uncultivated land in Netrokona have been brought under cultivation."

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