JOYPURHAT, Jun 07: A good number of peasants in the district are happy over good market prices of bottle gourd this season.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office sources said farmers of Akkelpur, Kalai, Panchbibi, Khetlal and Sadar upazilas have cultivated the vegetable on a larger scale.
Sources said growers started bottle gourd cultivation from February last.
Harvest has started from the middle week of May.
A good number of farmers said bottle gourd farming is profitable.
It ensures a good profit than any other vegetables, they added.
In a recent visit at Pachbibi Kitchen Market, this correspondent found each small size bottle gourd was sold at Tk 10 to Tk 15, a middle one at Tk 20 to Tk 30 and the big one at Tk 40 to Tk 50 in the retail markets.
The wholesalers from the different adjacent district like Bogura and Naogaon visit the big vegetable market from the very early in the morning to purchase the crop from the peasants directly.
"I have brought some 14 decimals of land under the farming of bottle gourd this season spending Tk 2900," said farmer Kalam Hossain of Kalai upazila.
"I have already sold some 500 pieces of the produce at Tk 10,000 and expecting to earn Tk 20,000 more," he added.
Deputy Director of DAE Sudhindranath Roy said bottle gourd cultivation is popular in the area.
A significant number of bottle gourd is produced in the district every season, he added.
