KHULNA: A relatively low production cost and high profit margin is making the cultivation of Nalim, a fruit of melon variety, popular in Dumuria upazila of the district.
Nalim looks like melon. When it ripens, it turns yellowish and smells sweet. It usually has a round shape and small size. Each Nalim can weigh about 3 to 4 kilograms, reports UNB.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Nalim has come to be known as a cash crop among farmers.
Sarwar Hossain Sardar, a resident of Sharafpur in Dumuria upazila, said he bought four seeds of Nalim last year when he went to the north.
He planted the seeds in his yard and collected seeds from the crop. In the beginning of August, he planted 50 seeds in his yard and the aisle of his fish enclosure after installing bamboo platforms.
Sarwar said he only used organic fertiliser and harvested Nalim within a month.
It is selling at Tk 30 to Tk 50 each piece.
Mosaddek Hossain, a DAE official at Dumuria upazila, said the weather in the area is favourable for Nalim cultivation. “We’re advising farmers on how to use their home yards and aisles of fish enclosures for Nalim cultivation,” he said.