Moulvibazar Correspondent
Abdul Matin, a farmer from Patrakhola area of Kamalganj upazila, has achieved unimaginable success by experimentally cultivating three varieties of hybrid watermelon in one field. The Department of Agriculture is amazed at the success with the initiative of the District Agriculture Extension Department and the overall cooperation of Lalteer organization.
This hybrid variant of watermelons has created a huge interest spark among other farmers in the area. The District Agriculture Extension department is thinking of spreading high yielding watermelon seeds in other upazilas of the district with this bumper crop of Abdul Matin.
Farmer Abdul Matin's watermelon can be seen in the field in Patrakhola area, where three varieties of black, yellow and green striped watermelon are being cultivated at the same field. The varieties are Black Baby, Madhumala and Lon Phi. Two of these varities have red pulp inside and one contains yellow pulp.
In this regard, farmer Abdul Matin said that he has cultivated these three varieties of watermelon in his two bighas of land. Of the three varieties, the yellow Lalteer variety and hybrid Lon Phi variety have the highest yield. The weight and size of the fruit has attracted everyone.
In addition, all three variants have sweet taste and fragrance like honey. Price of this watermelon in the market is also good.
He added that so far he has spent Tk 60,000 to Tk 70,000 to cultivate these three varieties of watermelon. He till now sold 1.20 lakh worth of watermelon. He is hopeful that he will be able to sell another 3.5 lakh Tk worth of watermelon with amount of yield in the field.
He said that the yield of Lon Phi variety is about three times higher than other watermelons and the weight of the fruit is 3 to 4 kg and the amount of sweetness is many times higher than other varieties. So in the future, he will cultivate this variety of watermelon extensively. Local farmers visited his land to see the yield. They are also interested in cultivating this variety of watermelon in future.
Tapash Chakraborty, Divisional Manager of Red Arrow Seed Limited said that the hybrid, the Lon Phi variety, has a green stripe and a yellowish tinge inside. Each watermelon weighs 5 to 6 kg with good care.
This high yielding watermelon can be cultivated not only in summer but also all year round. The ripening time of this fruit comes in 75 to 80 days. It takes only 1 gram of seed per bigha to cultivate the variety. With good care, the yield per acre is 30 to 35 tons. Farmers have benefited from experimental farming in Kamalganj.
In this regard, Deputy Director of Moulvibazar District Agriculture Extension Department Kazi Lutful Bari said that three varieties of seeds have been planted in Patrakhola Watermelon Exhibition. Initiatives will be taken to spread the cultivation of these varieties in other upazilas of the district. The Department of Agriculture is working to make farmers more profitable by cultivating high value fruits and vegetables.