Bumper cucumber yield makes growers happy in Cumilla

Bumper production of cucumber and its good market price have made farmers in Cumilla happy.

Sources said a good number of farmers of Khatochou, Gumkot, Batupara, Doiyara, Dhatish, Chandgora villages of Nangalkot upazila of the district cultivated the vegetable on a vast tract of land this season.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), farmers have cultivated cucumber on 54 hectares of land in the upazila with a target to produce 810 tonnes of the vegetable this season.

Timely cultivation, high-quality seeds, and correct use of fertilizers have resulted in bumper production this season. The yield will exceed the target as the farmers found abundant production this year due to favourable weather, said Jahidul Islam, an agricultural officer of Nangalkot.

During a recent visit to cucumber fields in the upazila, The Business Post found farmers selling their produce directly from the farmlands at a wholesale price of Tk 25 to Tk 30 per kilogramme and retail price Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kilogramme.

Cucumbers from the area are also being sent to Noakhali, Feni, Laksam and other districts of the country.

Talking to The Business Post, growers said that to get quality cucumber, the field should be prepared well. Then the farmers dig small six-inch deep holes at one feet distance to sow the seeds.

Urea, TSP, MP and organic fertilisers should be used with the irrigation water. But hybrid cucumber is gaining popularity among the growers of the district. It can be grown every season, growers added.

Mahbubul Haque, a farmer of Khatochou village, told The Business Post that a good number of farmers cultivated cucumber, eyeing a bumper harvest this year. Now, they are happy with both for the yield and the prices.

“I cultivated the vegetable of my 72 decimals of cropland. I spent Tk 1.5 lakh and got a profit Tk 3 lakh,” said Mahbubul.

“We do not get any assistance from the DAE. I apply the fertilisers on my field with the help from representatives of different pesticide companies,” he added.

Belal Miah, another farmer of the area, told The Business Post, “I have spent Tk 70,000 already on my field. I am optimistic about making a profit.”

Addressing these issues, Nangalkot Upazila Agricultural Officer Jahidul Islam told The Business Post, “We are providing training to the cucumber farmers, and we are also assisting them with advice, suggestions.”