Once, bottle gourd was grown in the backyard or on the roof of the house only to meet family needs. Now, due to the high demand for bottle gourd, lower production costs, and shorter cultivation time, commercial bottle gourd farming has begun.
Young agricultural entrepreneurs in Jibannagar upazila of Chuadanga are finding success with bottle gourd farming using the bamboo trellis on agricultural land.
Young farmers of Uthuli, Andulbariya, Raipur, Hasadah, Banka, and border areas of the upazila started cultivating bottle gourd using this method. The trellis is made by setting up bamboo poles and wires to create a frame about 5 feet high.
Once the bamboo trellis is set up, bottle gourd can be cultivated there for 3 to 4 years. The use of chemical fertilizers and labor costs in bottle gourd farming is much lower compared to other crops. Additionally, bottle gourds start bearing fruit within one and a half months of planting the seedlings. Young farmer Ashraful Islam from Uthuli village said, I have cultivated the hybrid Mayna variety bottle gourd on one bigha of land. I sell 3 cartons of bottle gourds every day. Each carton contains 60 pieces of bottle gourd, which we send to Dhaka. After deducting the costs, we earn Tk 1,700 to 1,800 per carton.
Witnessing the success of bottle gourd farmers, many other farmers of the area are now becoming interested in cultivating bottle gourd.
Agriculture Officer of Jibannagar Upazila, Alamgir Hossain, said the soil of Jibannagar upazila is ideal for bottle gourd cultivation. Young agricultural entrepreneurs are venturing into bottle gourd farming. The upazila Agriculture Office provides guidance and full support to bottle gourd farmers.
