Record yield of watermelon in Jhalakathi this year has tripled income of the farmers bringing them unbounded delight.

The farmers are getting highly benefitted from several Robi crops in the char (shoal emerged from the riverbed) areas of the district but especially production of the mouthwatering juicy fruit has increased enormously this year.

The growers’ income has risen three times due to good harvest of the fruit for favuorable weather this season.

A farmer can earn around Tk 4lakh by spending Tk 1lakh in its cultivation.

Farmers’ sources said this year, there has been bumper yield of the crop and they are getting its fair price as well.

About 150 acres of land at Charkoya in Nalchity upazila and Sangor union in Razapur upazila had been brought under watermelon cultivation in the current season.

Farmers of the areas are beaming with huge watermelons abounding in their fields.

Production of the fruit takes highest three months. The growers sow seeds of watermelon at the end of the Bangla month of Magh and the fruit is harvested in the month of Chaitra.

This year, high-yielding varieties of watermelon, Ashian, Ashian-2 and Glory were cultivated in the district.

The farmers harvested around 30 tonnes of watermelon per hectare of land.

At first, the farmers detected a disease caused by fungus in their fields but they overcame it by spraying pesticides following advice of the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Besides, the farmers in the areas also succeeded in producing poison free watermelon by using pheromone trap for controlling insects.

Jakir Hossain, a farmer of Charkoya village in Nalchity uapzila, said he cultivated watermelon on three acres of land.

He spent Tk one lakh for production.  Now he is expecting profit of Tk

3lakh from sale of the fruit.

Sattar Malik, another watermelon grower, said he cultivated watermelon on his land.

Side by side, he also cultivated maize in his land.

Nalchity upazila agriculture officer Saidur Rahman said this area is known as watermelon zone as the farmers highly succeed in cultivating watermelon in the fallow land.