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Muskmelon, a common fruit of the summer (called Bangi in Bangla), sells at significantly cheaper prices in Chadpur district compared to other fruits most available during the season, especially watermelon.
Both the seasonal fruits- muskmelon and watermelon- have had ample supply in Chandpur town and on its outskirts for the past two months.
It is observed, those who can hardly afford watermelon buy Bangi at lower prices from the local marketplaces or roadside makeshift shops in the town and rural areas.
Abul Hashem Prodhania, (38) a farmer at Bakila in Hajiganj Upazila, and Alamgir Hossain Gazi,(30), a farmer of Komolapur village in Haimchar Upazila, and a few others sell Bangi on their rickshaw vans in the town and its outskirts.
It is bought mostly by the poor people and low-wage earners who cannot afford to buy watermelon which is so pricey in Chandpur town, like elsewhere in the country, during the hot days of summer.
Despite having abundant supply in the markets and on roadside rickshaw vans in the entire town, watermelon remains mostly allusive to the needy people.
At all major intersections, rickshaw vans are very frequently seen moving with big displays of watermelons and muskmelons attracting town residents' notice.
In order to beat the sweltering heat of the summer season, most poor and low-income people prefer to taste Bangi considering its cheap rate.
A big-sized Bangi sells at Tk40-50 only apiece while a watermelon of the same size is available at Tk100 to 130- or even Tk150 apiece in some cases.
Poor and underprivileged people mostly do not have the courage to buy a piece of watermelon due to its excessively high price.
The reason behind high price of watermelon in the district is that it is not usually cultivated here for absence of sandy soil.
In the sandy soil, watermelon grows fast and well- according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Chandpur.
Sources at the Chandpur DAE office said in three upazilas (out of eight) of Chandpur, a total of 56 hectares of land have been brought under Bangi cultivation this season.
Upazila-wise breakup of muskmelon farming in the district is as follows: Twenty hectares of land in Hajiganj upazila, 35 hectares of land in Haimchar upazila and only one hectare in Kachua upazila. The yield has been achieved at total 402 tonnes.
According to the district DAE office, muskmelon has been harvested from over 40 hectares of land so far.
The rest will be harvested soon -said farmers Abul Hashem Prodhania of Bakila in Hajiganj upazila and Alamgir Hossain Gazi of Komolapur village in Haimchar Upazila .
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