Salinity in water and soil in the coastal districts is synonymous with an unending struggle since it is hard to cultivate any crops here. But farmers in Paikgachha upazila have managed to successfully cultivate pointed gourd on salty soil.
Farmers of Godaipur, Horidhali and Kapilmuni unions in the upazila harvested the crop recording a satisfactory production rate.
Nirmol Ghosh of Godaipur union said he cultivated pointed gourd on five decimals after setting up a one and half feet high platform.
“I’ve been collecting 50kg pointed gourd every week from the field,” he said. His success has motivated many other farmers to cultivate the crop.
Upazila Department of Agricultural Extension sources said farmers have been cultivating the crop on about two hectares of land in Godaipur, Horidhali and Kapilmuni unions.
Locally known as ‘Potol’, pointed gourd is one of the most common vegetables in Bangladesh.
Upazila Agriculture Officer AHM Jahangir Alam said local farmers cultivated the crop overcoming the issue of soil salinity. “They’re now making profits,” he said.
The agriculture official said he expected the cultivation to become popular among farmers in other upazilas too. “The agriculture office is encouraging farmers,” he said.
Pointed gourd is one of the important vegetables in the country. It is cultivated in flood-free region where water drainage system is easy.
Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute has developed two types of disease-tolerant high yielding pointed gourd – Bari Potol-1 and Bari Potol-2.
