Haider Ali, Panchagarh Correspondent
Farmers are benefiting from the cultivation of bitter gourd in Panchagarh. The cultivation of bitter gourd in this district is increasing day by day due to low labour and low cost. According to Panchagarh District Agriculture Extension Directorate, in Panchagarh, during the Kharif-2 season in the financial year 2023-2024, the target of vegetable cultivation was 1880 hectares and 1885 hectares of land have been planted.
Out of this, 209 hectares of land have been cultivated with bitter gourd. Bitter gourd has no specific target. Atwari, Boda and Debiganj upazilas of Panchagarh district have comparatively more bitter gourd cultivation. A total of 180 hectares of land has been planted with bitter gourd cultivation in 3 upazilas.
Ashraful Islam, a bitter gourd farmer from Panbara village in Mirzapur Union of Atwari Upazila, said, ‘I have cultivated Tia Super and Bandhan varieties of bitter gourd on 50 decimals of land. Currently, Tia Super is selling at Tk 1,800 per maund, and Bandhan variety is selling at Tk 2,400 per maund. So far, I have sold bitter gourd worth Tk 60,000.
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The total cost, including seeds, twine, bamboo, labour, fertilizer, and pesticides, has been Tk 50,000. So far, I have made a profit of Tk 10,000. If the price remains the same, I expect to sell another Tk 60,000 worth of bitter gourd.
Shahidul Islam, a bitter gourd farmer from the same village, said, ‘I have cultivated bitter gourd on 8 acres of land. So far, I have spent about Tk 10 lakh. I have sold bitter gourd worth Tk 12 lakh. If the weather remains favorable, I will be able to sell another Tk 8-10 lakhs worth of bitter gourd. Wholesalers buy the bitter gourd directly from my field.
Abdul Matin, the Deputy Director of the Panchagarh Agricultural Extension Department, said, ‘This year, a sufficient amount of bitter gourd has been cultivated in the Atwari Upazila of Panchagarh district. From the Agricultural Extension Department, we are advising farmers on various techniques, especially on how to cultivate vegetables in a pesticide-free manner. The farmers are following our guidance. They are using pheromone traps and other types of insecticides in their bitter gourd fields to produce the crop. The price of bitter gourd is good this year and the farmers are making a good profit by selling it. Most of these bitter gourds are moving to other parts of the country to meet the needs of our district.
We hope that this trend will continue in the future and that farmers will be able to improve their financial condition through bitter gourd cultivation, which will also help in reducing poverty in our region.
