In addition to paddy cultivation in Naogaon, farmers have now started cultivating gourd on loft as well as using bamboo shelf method with varieties of vegetables.
Due to the easy method and good quality of the trees, the gourd cultivation is now becoming very popular among the farmers due to the high yield.
Seeing one farmer, other neighbouring farmers also reduced the boro paddy cultivation a little and started experimenting with gourd cultivation on the platform.
Farmers are seeing a better side as they do not have to worry about selling gourd in the market as they are sold at wholesale and retail price every day. With the overall cooperation and advice of the local agriculture office, improved varieties of seeds have become available to the farmers and gourd cultivation is becoming more and more popular. Almost every month, gourds of different weights are hanging on the tops of the trees.
It is learned that Jahangir Alam, a rice trader from Bhabanipur Chautapara village in Rannigar upazila, saw a neighbouring farmer and started cultivating gourds on macha.
In 3 bighas of land, he started cultivating various varieties of vegetables. In other 2 bighas of land he started cultivating gourds on bamboo shelf method during April on the advice of the Agriculture Office. Farmer Jahangir Alam said, "I mainly trade in paddy and rice. However, now I also cultivate different varieties of vegetables as well as gourd with high quality seeds in bamboo shelf method. In about five months of age, I have sold about 4,000 small and large gourds.
Raninagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Shahidul Islam said that gourd cultivation is becoming popular in Raninagar as it is profitable. About 20 gourd cultivation methods have been developed in the bamboo shelf. We are directly collaborating with improved varieties of seeds with general advice to attract farmers. Farmers are benefiting from this method as the disease is less and the yield is higher. As it is a pesticide free gourd, its popularity is increasing as there is no problem in selling it in the market.