Pumpkin farming in barren lands changes their lot
Huge quantity of pumpkins is being loaded onto a truck from a field in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila as the area sees bumper production of the vegetable. The photo was taken recently.Photo: STAR
Fortune smiled on the farmers as the district saw a bumper production of pumpkin this season. Pumpkin traders are also happy as they are making good profit by selling the vegetable. They are sending it to different districts including Jessore and Khulna. Thakurgaon pumpkin has already drawn attention of traders and consumers of several districts, local traders said. Cultivation of pumpkin gained popularity in the district in recent years as it significantly contributed to alleviation of poverty in some villages. Farmers have opted for high lands that were considered barren only 9-10 years ago. The growers of those areas, besides Farabari, Yakubpur, Dholerhat and Chameshshory villages, under Sadar upazila have become solvent by cultivating pumpkin for the last several years. The cultivation process of pumpkin is easy and the production cost is also less than any other vegetables. Sources said, about 1,155 tonnes of pumpkin have been produced by cultivating about 135 acres of land in the district this season while each maund is being sold at Tk 180-200 in the wholesale market. Biswanath Barman, 35, a farmer of Yakubpur village, cultivated pumpkin on 14 bighas (one bigha is equal to .3306 acre) of land producing about 1400 maunds of pumpkin. "At the beginning of the season I sold each mound of pumpkin at Tk 200-Tk 220 and later at Tk 170", he said. As Biswanath planted pumpkin after potato cultivation his production cost was only Tk 3000 per bigha because a very low quantity of fertiliser is needed for pumpkin field after potato cultivation. Biswanath said he made a profit of about Tk 2 lakh this season spending only Tk 43,000 to prepare his land. Bhabesh Chandra, a schoolteacher of Koshalbari High School and also a mid-level farmer under Sadar upazila, told this correspondent that he cultivated pumpkin on a 3-bigha land and produced 240 maunds of pumpkin. "I spent only Tk 9,000 but sold the produces at Tk 45,000", he said. Cultivation of pumpkin is easy and needs little care as the pest attack is lesser than any other vegetables, Bhabesh said, adding the harvesting cost is also cheaper compared to other crops. Rafiqul Islam, a vegetable trader at Kalukhatra village told this correspondent that he has been sending pumpkins to Jessore and Khulna by covered vans for the last two months. Each van contained about 400 maund of pumpkin bringing a profit of about Tk 10,000-Tk 12,000, he said. "I have already earned Tk 1,80,000 by selling pumpkin in the current season," said Rafiqul. According to Dalil Uddin, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Thakurgaon, sandy-loamy soil is ideal for pumpkin cultivation. Mainly hybrid verities like sweety, suprima are being cultivated in the areas. Indigenous varieties are also quite popular, he said. Farmers have become interested in pumpkin cultivation as they are getting good return with low production and labour cost, he explained.
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