Off-season watermelon gaining popularity in Thakurgaon

Off-season watermelon cultivation is gaining popularity in Thakurgaon’s Pirganj upazila as farmers adopt modern agricultural technologies and techniques.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Nazmul Hasan said the primary season for watermelon cultivation is from January to April.

However, farmers in the area have recently started cultivating the crop during the off-season, from August to October, by adopting modern agricultural technologies and techniques.

“The local soil and climate are conducive to watermelon farming, resulting in high yields and excellent flavor,” he said.

While only a few farmers experimented with off-season watermelon cultivation a few years ago, many are now cultivating the crop on a commercial scale.

Last year, watermelons were cultivated on approximately 100 acres in the upazila, while the area has expanded to about 150 acres this year.

Farmers have achieved good yields and received favorable prices, encouraging more people to take up the profitable crop.

Abdul Kader, a watermelon farmer, said he had been leasing land from the Setabganj Sugar Mill at Danajpur Ganesh Farm for the past few years to cultivate off-season watermelons on four bighas of land annually, earning a handsome profit.

This year, he expanded his cultivation to approximately six bighas, and the yield has been excellent. Wholesalers from various parts of the country are purchasing the watermelons directly from the fields at Tk 30 per kilogram.

Watermelon farmers Jahirul Islam, Kali Charan and Rajab Ali said cultivating watermelons on one bigha of land costs between Tk 30,000 and Tk 35,000, while the produce sells for between Tk 100,000 and Tk 150,000.

“There are no problems with selling the crop, as wholesalers purchase it directly from the fields,” they said.

The watermelons are ready for harvest in just two months.

Farmers said the low investment, short growing period and good returns are encouraging more farmers to cultivate the crop.