Bitter gourd farming makes Gopalganj farmers self-reliant

GOPALGANJ, Aug 22: Farmers in Raghunathpur, known as a vegetable-growing village in Gopalganj Sadar Upazila, are becoming self-reliant by cultivating bitter gourd and other vegetables on the banks of fish enclosures.

The farmers have turned their traditionally single-crop land into a three-crop system. They cultivate fish in the enclosures and grow Boro rice during the dry season. During the monsoon, they use the enclosure banks to grow bitter gourd and other vegetables.

Fields around Raghunathpur are now dotted with fish enclosures, with vegetable crops growing along their banks. Farmers said bitter gourd has been particularly profitable as they are getting good prices.

Favourable weather and a low incidence of pests have helped produce a bumper crop this year. Farmers are currently selling bitter gourd at around Tk 40 a kilogramme, while prices were higher at the beginning of the season.

Farmers Sajib Biswas and Badal Biswas said men and women in the village are busy working in their fields and farms.

"Most farmers here are not interested in other crops. Thousands of people in the village depend on vegetable farming for their livelihoods," they said.

The bitter gourd produced in the village meets part of the demand in Gopalganj town and is also supplied to markets in nearby areas, they said.

Pradip Haldar, a Sub-Assistant Agriculture officer of Gopalganj Sadar Upazila, said bitter gourd is cultivated on a large area in Raghunathpur every year.

"As Gopalganj is a low-lying wetland area, cultivating bitter gourd and other vegetables on the banks of fish enclosures is popular among farmers," he said.

Around seven hectares of land on enclosure banks have been brought under bitter gourd cultivation during the Kharif-2 season of the current fiscal year, he added.

Agriculture experts said farmers in the area could increase production further if they receive proper government support and access to low-interest loans.