Pumpkins a blessing for Teesta char farmers

Farmers in three Lalmonirhat upazilas are pleased with a bumper pumpkin crop grown on uninhabited chars of the Teesta River. This profitable cultivation has the potential to significantly improve the lot of the impoverished local farmers.

Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) sources in Lalmonirhat said pumpkin was cultivated on 5,000 bighas of sandy land in the Teesta River, in 35 char villages in three upazilas, and around 3,000 small-scale farmers were engaged in the cultivation this year. Bumper yield of the vegetable and high profit encouraged many others to participate, they added.

 Farmer Rasul Miah, 50, of Rajpur village in Lalmonirhat Sadar, said a farmer needs to spend only Tk 1,400 to Tk 1,500 to cultivate pumpkin on one bigha, and can harvest 450 to 500 pumpkins. Each pumpkin weighs around 5kg to 8 kg and 1kg is sold for about Tk 9 in the local market during the harvest period, but sells for up to Tk 25 during the off season, he added.

"I cultivated pumpkin on six bighas this year. I have been harvesting the produce from Sunday, and am hoping to earn over Tk 1 lakh," said farmer Nabiul Islam, 55, of Kalmati village.

Farmer Sirajul Islam, 50, of Char Gobodhan village in Aditmari upazila, said pumpkin cultivation started in the first week of December and harvesting started from the first week of March. "We don't need huge capital to cultivate pumpkin on char land. A little investment brings high profits. It needs only seeds, some compost fertiliser and proper care," he added.

"Miles of chars in the Teesta River were declared unfit for farming any crop some years ago," said farmer Delowar Hossain, 65, of Char Khuniyagachh village in Lalmonirhat Sadar. "Now we know how to use the char lands to produce crops, so we have been cultivating pumpkin for the last six years," he added.

Safayet Hossain, deputy director of Lalmonirhat DAE, said char farmers are given training on producing pumpkins and other crops. "Pumpkin cultivation on chars is playing a vital role in mitigating poverty among Teesta River char dwellers," he said, adding that wastage from pumpkins can fertilise the sandy land for cultivating other crops.

Char farmers urged the government to provide necessary support, including seeds, fertlisers and insecticides for cultivating pumpkins, which can play a vital poverty alleviation role.