Watermelons have been grown on about 120 bighas across the char areas of the Bishkhali river in Rajapur, Jhalakathi. Farmers have started selling them and are getting good prices.

Watermelon farmers including Nurul Haque, Jalil Molla, Monir Molla, Kanchan Molla and Sefayet said that about three months ago, 20 farmers together planted watermelons on 120 bighas across the Bishkhali river char at the eastern edge of the upazila. As there was no rain in the area this year, the yield is somewhat lower, but water has been supplied with irrigation pumps.

This year each bigha cost about Tk 80,000, including labour, pesticide and irrigation. With the yield per bigha, they hope to sell Tk 1.8 lakh to more than Tk 2 lakh worth of watermelons.

Nurul Haque added that, with selling time come, the farmers asked all the small traders in Rajapur Sadar's markets to buy watermelons from the fields, but the traders did not go to the fields, as they were waiting to hold the farmers hostage and buy very cheaply. But with good transport links, several farmers have hired vehicles together and are taking the watermelons to Dhaka, where they are selling them wholesale at Tk 40 a kg. Each watermelon weighs 4 to 8 kg, and some weigh more, so the farmers are getting good prices.

He said the farmers will not sell watermelons locally unless the area's small traders offer a good price.

Upazila agriculture officer Mosa Shahida Sharmin Afroz said watermelons have been grown on a total of 35 hectares in the upazila this year. Barring natural disasters, 1,000 to 1,150 tonnes will be produced. The agriculture department has always stood by farmers and given all kinds of help, she said.

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