Jhenidah farmer benefited from squash cultivation

Our Correspondent | Published: March 06, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

JHENIDAH, Mar 4: A farmer in Shailakupa upazila under Jhenidah district has cultivated hybrid squash (a foreign vegetable) on 20 decimals of his land and sold the produce at a lucrative price creating much enthusiasm among the local farmers to grow the vegetable in the upcoming winter season.
Habibur Rahman Omar (35), a farmer at Kazipara village under the upazila is the first one in the region to cultivate the vegetable. Being suggested by one of his relatives of Pangsha upazila in Rajbari district, Omar got interested to cultivate squash on his land.
"Squash is a very delicious vegetable that sells at lucrative price, and I sold my produce at Tk 30-35 per kg in the local market," said Habibur Rahman Omar.
The farmer got a total of Tk 30,000 from the sale of the vegetable while he had to spend Tk 5,000 as production cost, including fertiliser, insecticides and labour cost.
Omar said a squash plant gives maximum 30-40 kgs of vegetable if it grows well.  A piece of squash may weigh up to three kg, he added.  
Farmer Omar also told this correspondent that henceforth he would cultivate different vegetables on his 20-decimal of land as vegetables bring him money frequently.
Omar bought six packets of squash seeds, each having 50-65 pieces, from Siddique Bazar, Dhaka at Tk 300 per packet. However, seeds of this vegetable cannot be produced locally. He urged the researchers of DAE to take initiatives to make seeds of this vegetable available in our country.
    aminul104060@gmail.com