Sweet gourd cultivation gains popularity in Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA, May 4 (BSS): Sweet gourd (Pumpkin) cultivation on fallow Char lands has gained much popularity among the extreme poor living on the Teesta and Brahmanputra river basins in the district in recent years for economical prospect of the crop. Many of the cultivators have already become self-reliant economically and other farmers are trying to change their socio- economic condition through cultivating it on nearby sandy char land lying on the riverbeds. According to sources, a total of 753 acres of land of 3277 ultra poor men living in 15 Char unions under Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Saghata Upazilas of the district have been brought under the cultivation this year with a production target of 15,729 metric tonnes of pumpkin. With the technical support of Practical Action Bangladesh (PAB), two local organisations-GUK and Akota- motivated the river eroded poor men to cultivate the crop on fallow char lands. The harvest of the pumpkin has started at the end of last month and it is going on in full swing in 37 fields of the district. Per piece of pumpkin is being sold on an average at TK 60-80, said Kamal Hossain, district coordinator of PAB. Gani Miah, a farmer of Belka Char under Sundarganj Upazila, said he bought a couple of cows at TK 30,000 through selling pumpkin produced on his Char land at nominal cost with the help of the organisations. This year, he will sell the pumpkin of TK 40,000 and build two tin shed houses with the money to change his living standard, he said adding that many interested men are coming to him from other places and sharing with him on how to cultivate the pumpkin on their respective char land at low cost in coming seasons. Nirmal Chandra Bepari, agriculture coordinator of PAB, said the aim of the pumpkin cultivation technology innovated by the experts of organisation in 2005 is to help the extreme poor living on the river basin pass their days without hardships throughout the year. Agriculturist M. Mizanur Rahman, deputy operation manager of PAB, Rangpur region told the news agency that this technology has also been introduced in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Rangpur district and around 600 acres of Char land the districts have also been brought under the cultivation.