Downpour dampens pumpkin cultivation in Pabna

PABNA, July 2: A bumper yield of pumpkin could not bring smile for the farmers in Pabna as the week-long downpour damaged most of the pumpkin fields. Due to early harvesting pumpkin is getting rotten worrying the growers.
Around one thousand hectares of land was brought under pumpkin cultivation. Of them 286 were cultivated in Ishwardi upazila of the district, according to Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
"I have cultivated pumpkin this year in two bighas of land and produced 1,500 to 1,800 pieces as the weather was fine for a bumper yield of pumpkin," Mizanur Rahman, a farmer of Islampur village of Pabna Sadar upazila told the FE. "Despite a bumper production, I am not happy as half of the production is going to be damaged due to the incessant rains over last week," he added.
Visiting a vast tract of pumpkin field in Ishwardi upazila this correspondent found the farmers go for early harvesting of it for saving the crop from getting rotten.
"Pumpkin plants are being destroyed as its leaves are growing yellow, and laying on the ground due to incessant rains last week," Siddikur Rahman Moyez, a leading pumpkin grower told The Finanancial Express.
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