Farmers elated at bumper output of pointed gourd

BENAPOLE, Nov 06: Bumper harvest of pointed gourd (potol) along with higher profit at relatively low production cost has come as a great delight for the farmers in Keshabpur upazila of Jashore district in the current season.
By using the cost-effective loft system, the growers could gain higher profit at low production cost, sources said.
Farmers of the area have become interested in producing pointed gourd by applying the loft method.
In Keshabpur, the farmers are leaning towards pointed gourd cultivation increasingly day by day finding it to be a profitable venture.
Cabbage is most commonly produced vegetable here but the warm and humid climate and fertile soil of the upazila are very much useful for pointed gourd production.
Pointed gourd is a long duration crop and farmers are becoming more interested in its cultivation day by day. Every morning and afternoon, farmers are seen spending busy time tending their potol fields.
At dawn, farmers pick up the crop from the fields once a week and take them in sacks by vans or autos to different markets including Athar Mile Bazar, Keshabpur Bazar and other marketplaces in Jashore and Khulna.
Farmers are very happy because of the bumper yield of pointed gourd this year as well as higher prices compared to other years.
This scene of farmers exalting their achievement is very common across the vast fields of Altapol Char of Keshabpur upazila.
Cultivation of pointed gourd continues from October 15 to November 15 every year.
There are different species of pointed gourd cultivated in different regions of Bangladesh- featuring long and slender, short and thick, dark green to light green, light skin to thick skin, with and without stripes.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has developed two varieties of pointed gourd. The two high-yielding and disease- resistant varieties are Bari Potol-1 and Bari Potol-2. Their yield is approximately 30 to 38 tonnes per hectare.
The size of a Bari Potol-1 pointed gourd is four to five inches in length and 1.5 inches in width and the weight is about 50 to 55 grams.
Each plant bears a maximum of 240 fruits, the total weight of which will be about 10 kg. The yield per acre is 12,145 kg.
Apart from this, the size of Bari Patal-2 is 3.5 to 4 inches long and 1.5 to 1.75 inches wide. Each pointed gourd weighs about 50 grams.
Each plant bears a maximum of 380 fruits, with a total weight of 14 kg. The yield is 15,385 kg per acre.
Maya flowers are pollinated (touched) by male flowers every morning before sunrise.
Growth of pointed gourd is not good if pollination is not done.
Pointed gourd becomes mature to sell after 15 days of flower pollination.
At this time, flies attack and destroy flowers and stems of the fruits. Then spraying insecticides once or twice a week gives good results.
During the current kharif season, most of the vegetable fields including brinjal, potal, and gourd on 7,864 hectares of land were destroyed by floodwater in Keshabpur.
As the headland area of Altapol Char of the upazila is relatively high, there was no damage to pointed gourd fields in the floodwater. The weather was also favorable.
That is why the farmers are counting days in the hope of a substantial profit.
Farmer GM Moniruzz-aman said he has planted pointed gourd sapling on his 12 decimal land this
season.
Farmers of his area are becoming more inclined towards potol farming day by day. Due to the good yield, he has so far sold potol worth one lakh taka.
This year the amount of rain was more but there was no damage to the plants and the yield has also been bumper. Every week 20 to 25 kg potol is being raised.
Due to flood, the market price of pointed gourd is also high this time.
Many students in their area are now dreaming of becoming self-reliant by cultivating pointed gourd.
Honors student Tuhin Hossain said that their area is famous for vegetable cultivation. At present pointed gourd is selling at the rate of Tk50 to 60 per kg at Keshabpur market. They expect to benefit greatly if the present trend of price continues.
Many farmers in the area have become economically self-sufficient by growing other vegetables besides pointed gourd.
Deputy Assistant Agricu-lture Officer Anath Bandhu Das said pointed gourd has been cultivated on more land this year than last year. Soil of the area is suitable for vegetable cultivation.
All-out support is being given to the farmers targeting optimum benefits.

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