S A Shofiee, Sylhet:
Ashikur Rahman has made a success of cultivating watermelons and vegetables in Kanaighat, Sylhet during the monsoon season. He has obtained good yields due to the lack of disease and insect attacks in the vegetable fields of the mulching method. Since there is a huge demand for watermelons along with summer vegetables, its price is also high. As a result, farmer Ashiq is very happy to get more profit with less cost. Seeing his success, many unemployed youths of the area are getting interested in cultivating vegetables in this method.
Ashiq has surprised everyone by cultivating bitter gourd especially in the current monsoon season. Each bitter gourd weighs an average of 200 to 300 grams. Not only bitter gourd, but also watermelon, shammam, cucumber, beans, shrimp, bitter gourd, rice pumpkin, sweet pumpkin, gourd, data and barbati in the winter season. These crops have not yet yielded fully, but it is expected that the land will be filled with vegetables in a few days.
On the spot, in the western area of ​​​​his own Baur Bhag Paschim of Dakshin Banigram Union No. 7 of Kanaighat Upazila, it was seen that farmer Ashikur Rahman, a former madrasa student of Kanaighat Upazila, has grown watermelons and vegetables for the third time using the mulching method. He has achieved success using this new method. Seeing his success in the agricultural field, many youths of the upazila have come forward in agricultural work, especially vegetable cultivation.
During the conversation, Ashikur Rahman said that he has been cultivating various vegetables using the mulching method for the last 3 years. This year, he has cultivated many types of vegetables including watermelons, corollas, beetroots, and cucumbers using the mulching method on 4 bighas of land.
Since there are no diseases and insect attacks in the field, he has used less fertilizer and pesticides. As a result, he said that there is a possibility of good yield.
He said that in 2021, he cultivated watermelon for the first time on 15 acres of land. He earned 70 thousand taka from this. In 2022, he cultivated 4 varieties of watermelon and various varieties of vegetables on 20 acres of land. He earned 80 thousand taka from this. He said that after the harvest in 2023, he earned 2 lakh taka. He has started selling vegetables for the last 2 weeks. He said that he will be able to sell vegetables for the next three to four months.
He said that due to the mulching method, there are no weeds in the field, so he has got a huge harvest with very little effort. Since there is a lot of demand for vegetables in the market, the price is also high. He will be able to sell more than in the last two years. He has received cooperation and advice from the Upazila Agriculture Office in cultivating these vegetables.
Kanaighat Upazila Agriculture Officer Bishwajit Raj said during the conversation that this time, like every time, farmer Ashikur Rahman of this upazila is cultivating various types of vegetables including watermelon, barbati, corolla, cucumber. All kinds of assistance has been provided by the Upazila Agriculture Office for his vegetable cultivation.
