Farmers in Kushtia district are reaping profits after cultivating the Taiwanese "black baby" variant of watermelons in tobacco fields.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)'s district office, watermelons are being cultivated on 20 hectares of land this year.
Shahidul Islam, a farmer from Baruipara union of the district's Kushtia upazila, said he cultivated black baby watermelons on 25 katha of his own land for the first time this year.
It took them two months to ripen, he added, and so far, his yield has fetched him Tk60,000 – with over Tk1.5 lakh's-worth of watermelons remaining to be harvested from his orchard.
"On the advice on the DAE office, I did not use any pesticide, which makes my fruits entirely chemical-free," he beamed.
Shafiqul Islam, another farmer in the region, cultivated the same variant on one bigha of land, which cost him Tk50,000.
"So far it cost me: Tk3,500 to plant watermelon seeds, Tk3,000 for fertilizer, Tk12,000 for labour wages, Tk1,500 for irrigation, Tk10,000 to set up an elevated platform and other costs," he remarked. "I used to grow tobacco but it did not yield me profit for a long time," he added.
After planting watermelon seeds, it only took them 72 days to become full-fledged fruits, he added – while mentioning that he planned to expand watermelon cultivation to three bighas of land next year.
Md Giasuddin, a farmer of the union's neighbouring Keupur village, echoed similar sentiments regarding incurring losses in tobacco farming.
However, as watermelons take less time to grow, than tobacco, he has permanently switched to growing watermelons in his orchard.
Farmers in the upazila said scores of retail and wholesale watermelon buyers flock to them to purchase the fruits in person.
During harvest season, traders from different areas of the country come to buy watermelon at fields in the district.
"Although the exterior of the fruit is black in colour, it is blood-red inside," they said, "Each weigh between 2.5 to 5kg."
They observed the fruit is perfect for cultivating between the Bengali months of Baishakh to Sraban.
Saidul Islam, a retailer selling black baby watermelons in Kushtia municipal market, sells them at Tk40 per kg.
Sandy soil in the area is highly suitable for watermelon cultivation and a good number of rivers and canals there provide irrigation facilities, said Ramesh Chandra Ghosh, assistant agriculture officer of DAE in Mirpur upazila.
Local farmers are being encouraged to cultivate watermelon as it is more profitable than tobacco, he added.
