Farmers in Jhalakathi are now showing more interest to cultivate cucumber than any
other crops with the vegetable’s ‘Manpasha’ variety proved profitable.
This season, there has been seen an excellent yield of ‘Manpasha’ cucumber so far in
Jalakhathi, a district which has a name for good production of the variety.
Growers have earned huge profit from the vegetable as it was not only grown well but
also sold at fair prices.
The cucumber variety was cultivated on about 1,000 acres of land in the district.
The specialty of this type of cucumber is that it grows having weight up to 8-9 kilograms.
The small size cucumbers are used in preparing ‘salad’ while the big ones are mainly
used in curry.
Cucumber has also special use in cooking different fishes like shrimp and hilsa.
Farmers preserve seeds from mature cucumbers.
During monsoon, cucumber is cultivated on vast tracts of land in Binoykathi, Basanda,
Kritipasha and Nabagram union of Jhalakathi sadar upazila.
Farmers earn Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 by cultivating cucumber on one bigha of land.
Those who cultivated cucumber earlier have already started to get the yield.
A few of the growers after harvesting cucumber has started cultivating other vegetables
like sweet gourd, snake gourd and okra.
Despite heavy rainfall and tidal water, the farmers got good production of cucumber as
well as good profit from it.
The farmers sold cucumber at Tk 800 per maund in the local markets.
For about two decades, the farmers have been cultivating ‘Manpasha’ cucumber because
of its attractive size.
Farmer Ayub Ali of the sadar upazila cultivated cucumber on four bighas and earned
huge profit selling it at the local market.
He has already cultivated new crops on his land.
He was financially benefited by cultivating the cucumber variety.
Farmer Selim Hawlader of this area said he cultivated cucumber on his two bighas of
land.
He said per maund of cucumber sold at Tk800.
Agriculture lover Jhalakathi sadar upazila UNO Abdur Rouf Mia said farmers were
benefited by cultivating cucumber on fallow land. -UNB, Jhalakathi
