DEBHATA, Satkhira — About 50 farmers in Debhata upazila are growing off-season watermelons on the embankments of fish enclosures, drawing fresh attention to a model that uses idle land and fetches premium prices, the upazila agriculture office said.
From a distance, the plots look like strings of colored fruit hanging in the shade of green leaves. Up close, they are off-season watermelons. Fish swim below in mixed freshwater and saltwater enclosures. Above, on trellises, hang the Supreme Honey, Tripti, Black Baby, Sugar Queen and Bangla Link varieties. The scene is now a fresh talking point in the farm fields of Debhata, Satkhira.
A few years ago, the embankments around the upazila’s fish enclosures sat unused or were overgrown with weeds. The agriculture department launched trial watermelon cultivation on those embankments. Many farmers were initially skeptical that watermelons would grow under the influence of saline water. But the first crop succeeded, and word spread to nearby villages.
According to the Debhata upazila agriculture office, about 50 farmers are involved this year. No separate land is required. An enclosure embankment and a small patch of land are enough. As a result, the investment is low, the risk is low and the profit is high.
Watermelons are selling for 70 to 80 taka per kilogram in the market. The off-season price has brought a glint to farmers’ faces. Three demonstration plots in the upazila have already produced bumper yields. The agriculture department has supplied improved seed and fertilizer, including the Supreme Honey, Tripti, Black Baby, Sugar Queen and Bangla Link varieties.
Biswanath Tapali, a farmer from Tiket village, said: “In this saline area I carry tubewell water in buckets to water the plants every day and manage diseases. The work is hard but the fruit is sweet. In the first lot I sold 40,000 taka worth of watermelons. Two more harvests are still to come.”
Farmer Abul Kashem said his experience has been even brighter. “The watermelons look beautiful and taste extraordinarily sweet. Demand in the market is high. I expect to sell about 200,000 taka worth,” he said.
Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Mostafa Mostak Ahmed said: “We are looking for gold in saline soil. At first farmers were not very interested. Now they come to us asking for seed.”
Debhata Upazila Agriculture Officer Shawkat Osman said: “Where the embankments used to lie fallow, crops are now growing. Land is being used to the fullest. Farmers’ incomes are rising and the local economy is getting stronger.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report