BATIAGHATA, Khulna — A farmer in Khulna’s Batiaghata upazila has drawn wide attention by growing watermelon out of season, transforming his livelihood in the process.
Six years ago, Bellal of Surkhali Union in Batiaghata worked as a day laborer on other people’s land. With his parents, wife and two children to support, his single income made it hard to get by. Off-season watermelon farming, combined with fish cultivation in ponds, has changed his fortunes.
He started by planting watermelon on two bighas of his own land. After turning a profit, he leased more land the next year and expanded. As his income grew, he followed the example of others and decided to grow watermelon off-season. He added more land, dug fish ponds and built bamboo trellises along all four embankments to grow watermelon.
On bamboo poles set in the water along the pond edges, nets form trellises hung with rows of watermelons, each fruit cradled in a mesh bag. The ponds hold various native fish, and along the paths Bellal has planted bitter gourd, Malabar spinach, bottle gourd and other vegetables.
“Off-season watermelon takes less work,” Bellal said. “Growing it in season inside the wetlands requires irrigation, which is costly and laborious. But on the pond embankments you don’t need to irrigate.”
He said costs run between 20,000 and 25,000 taka per bigha, while sales can top 100,000 taka. He expects to sell at least 600,000 taka worth of watermelon this season, having already sold 200,000 taka worth.
“I used to grow watermelon only in season. Now I’ve started growing it off-season,” Bellal said. “Each watermelon weighs between 3.5 kg and 6 kg, and the off-season fruit tastes much better than the in-season kind. Wholesalers come from the city and buy from the field at 1,800 to 1,900 taka per maund. Even after costs, the profit is good.”
Bellal is now financially stable. He expects to fulfill his hopes, including sending his children to good schools without worry. He plans to expand his fields further next year, and his income with them.
Alamgir Hossain, the upazila’s agricultural extension officer, said Khulna’s climate and soil suit off-season watermelon cultivation, and Batiaghata produces the most watermelon in the district. He said the agriculture office has supplied fertilizer, seeds and pesticides to off-season growers this year and is training farmers like Bellal. “The agriculture office is ready to provide all kinds of support to farmers,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report