Bitter gourd cultivation changing Manikganj farmer’s fate

Cultivation of bitter gourd on a large scale in different upazilas of the district and fair price of the crop has started changing the fate of several thousand farmers.

Most of the bitter gourd farmers are very happy as they getting a double
price of their products during the current season, local people said.

Farmers of Ghior upazila of the district cultivated bitter gourd on 250
hectares of land this season and got a good production.

Local farmers are selling their bitter gourd to retailers at a high price.

Abul Hasan, one of the bitter gourd cultivators of Bastia village of Ghior
upazila, said he was selling bitter gourd at Taka 40-45 per kg against Taka
15-20 in the last year.

Ghior Upazila Office of Department of Agricultural Extension said the crop
was cultivated in the area under the Export Standard Vegetable Cultivation
Programme during the current season.

The crop has been cultivated mostly in Bastia, Valkutia, Chowbaria,
Angurpara, Chango Shimulia and Pukhuria of Baliakhora union of Ghior upazila,
said the sources.

Farmer Shamsul Huq said he cultivated bitter gourd on seven bighas of land
and has already earned a profit of Taka 2.50 lakh.

Altaf Hossain of Angurpara village of the same upazila said he cultivated
bitter gourd on four bighas of land and received about Taka two lakh by
selling his produces.

Ashrafuzzaman, Ghior upazila agriculture officer, said the field level
agriculture workers have been providing guidance to the farmers to get
maximum production.

The farmers of Harirampur and Shibalaya upazilas of the district are
cultivating bitter gourd and earning a good profit.

Most of the farmers cultivate onion and bitter gourd on the same land at
the same time. After harvesting the onion they began to start nursing the
bitter gourd.

Mohammad Habibur Rahman Chowdhury, deputy director of DAE, said farmers of
Manikganj produce best quality bitter gourd which has a great demand in
markets across the country.