Commercial cultivation of sweet pumpkin increasing in Nilphamari

NILPHAMARI, Apr 30: A bumper production of sweet pumpkin has been achieved in Nilphamari. The farmers are cultivating the vegetable commercially both in the highlands and sandy char (shoal) areas across the district.

Farmer sources said 1200 to 1500 pumpkins are produced in a single bigha (30 decimal) of land and its demand in the markets is also quite high.

There is a huge supply of the vegetable in the local markets and these are being transported to other districts of the country including Dhaka and Khulna. One big sized pumpkin is being sold at a price of Tk 20 to 25 in the local markets.

DAE sources said pumpkin has been cultivated in 340 hectares of land this year in the district whereas its cultivation in the district was in 325 hectare of land last year. When contacted one pumpkin grower of Itakhola U.P. of sadar upazila Amzad Hossain said he cultivated pumpkin in four bighas of land and harvested only in one bigha where about 1500 pumpkin is produced.

Another sweet pumpkin grower Noor Banu, a widow of Sonarai UP of Domar upazila said she cultivated pumpkin in five decimals of land and she harvested 250 pumpkins while she had to expend only 200 taka.