Cucumber cultivation gaining popularity

GOPALGANJ, Sept 10: Cucumber cultivation is gaining popularity among the farmers of Sadar Upazila in the district as it has proved profitable.
According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Gopalganj sources, around 60 hectares of land have been brought under cucumber cultivation this year in the district, of which 20 hectares are in Raghunatupur under Gopalganj Sadar Upazila.
The farmers are cultivating the vegetable widely as its demand is higher than other vegetables in the market. They are showing interest as they reaped profit in the previous years.
The growers hope to reap sizable amount of profit this year also by cultivating 'green line' and 'paradise' varieties of the vegetable.
While this correspondent visited a cucumber field at Raghunathpur village under Gopalganj Sadar Upazila on Wednesday, farmers were seen working in the cropland and harvesting the vegetable.
Md. Mizanur Rahman, Upazila Agriculture Officer, Gopalganj Sadar said, various kinds of cucumber including hybrid variety of the vegetable have been cultivated instead of the local one this season as those varieties grow more within the shortest period of time.
Sudhangshu Biswas (33), a farmer of village Raghunathpur under Gopalganj Sadar Upazila of the district, said "I have cultivated the vegetable (cucumber) on 1.50 areas of land spending about Tk 50,000 and I have been collecting four to five maunds of the vegetable from my field every day."
"DAE official have helped me a lot when I sought their suggestions, Mr Biswas said.