JOYPURHAT, Feb 03: With favourable weather condition and timely supply of necessary agro-inputs, the farmers have achieved ample pumpkin output this season in Joypurhat district.
Spending trifling money, the pumpkin peasants are making good profit compared to other Rabi crops in the region due to its fair market price during harvesting period.
The farmers had sowed the seed of the crops last October and started harvesting from the middle week of January and it will continue till mid- February. The farmers can harvest the crops after 80 to 90 days of its cultivation.
The wholesalers from the region have already started exporting the crops to different districts including capital city Dhaka from the last week of January.
The peasants generally grow seasonal crops but they began pumpkin cultivation on an experimental basis according to suggestion of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) since 2012 and got the success from the farms.
A small one pumpkin is being sold at Tk 30 to 40, a middle one is at Tk 50 to 60 and big one is at Tk from 90 to 100 according to shape and test in the local kitchen markets.
The wholesalers from the adjacent district visit the kitchen market to purchase the crops to sell them in different districts including Dhaka. Getting silly profit from Boro paddy, they turned the desire from Boro paddy to pumpkin with the assistance of local agriculture offices since last few years.
To grow pumpkin on one bigha of land the farmers need Tk 4,000 to 7,000 only and they can make over Tk 25,000 to 35,000 profits if they grow bumper production, said sub-assistant agriculture officer Azizur Rahman.
"I have cultivated pumpkin on one bigha of land this season spending Tk 6,500," said farmer Nizam Sheikh under Khetlal upazila. "I have got over 1,000 pieces of small, middle and big sized pumpkin and expecting to sell them at Tk 50,000" he added.
DAE official said pumpkin contains several food values which help us keep the body healthy and strong. Its cultivation is proved to the farmers as more lucrative, he added.
