Low price frustrates pumpkin growers
Pumpkin growers in different upazilas of five northern districts have been deprived of fair price of the vegetable as the price dropped significantly this season.
The price is too low this season, although it was much higher in the previous year, local growers said.
Although each kg of pumpkin is selling for Tk 25 at local markets, farmers are getting only Tk 12 to Tk 13 from the wholesalers for the item, they said.
Farmers said a major portion of the pumpkins produced in the five districts of the Rangpur region are usually cultivated in the sandy char lands along the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Dharla, Dudhkumar and Gangadhar rivers.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), pumpkin has been cultivated on a total of 12,300 hectares of land in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Gaibandha and Rangpur districts.
While the production target of vegetable has been fixed at 4.6 lakh tonnes.
While talking to this correspondent a number of pumpkin growers said due to prolonged cold and thick fog this season the yield of pumpkin is 25 to 30 percent less than that of the previous year.
Last year, farmers sold each kg of pumpkin for Tk 15 to Tk 16, but the vegetable is being selling for only Tk 12 to Tk 13 this year.
Farmer Rashedul Islam of Char Kalmati village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila said about 500 pumpkin saplings can be planted in each bigha of land.
Each plant can yield up to two to five pumpkins, each weighing around four to eight kg.
Farmers have to spend Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 for cultivating pumpkin on one bigha land.
If the yield is expected and the price is good, farmers can make a profit of Tk 60,000 to Tk 65,000 by cultivating pumpkin on one bigha land, he said.
Farmer Nazir Ali of Begumganj village along the Brahmaputra river in Kurigram's Ulipur upazila said 12 char farmers together cultivated pumpkin on 15 bighas of char land this year, but the yield is quite low due to persistent cold spell during the winter this season.
Ganesh Chandra Das, a vegetable vendor at a marker in Rangpur City, said they are buying pumpkin from wholesalers at Tk 18 to Tk 19 per kg and selling those at Tk 25. Rangpur DAE Additional Director Obaidur Rahman Mandal said many farmers in char areas are growing pumpkin in groups on sandy land and making good profits.
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