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WATERMELON growers in Jessore are switching over to farming of other crops due to inadequate supply of seeds and also lack of its quality.
   A good number of farmers incurred huge losses as the production of the fruit came down over the last few years, farmers and businessmen at Rupdia said.
   A few years ago, Nawapara was famous for the production of watermelon. In the 80s, Nawapara turned into the largest fertiliser producing town. It supplied fertiliser to all northern districts. Nawapara also used to supply cement to various parts of the country. Due to the reason, the farmers shifted their cultivation to Rupdia, adjacent to Nawapara.
   Rupdia, about 10 kilometres off the district town, became famous for production of watermelon later. Now-a-days Rupdia has lost its name and fame. Businessmen at Rupdia said they were now selling watermelon after carrying these from outside the area.
   The farmers said they had been compelled to reduce watermelon cultivation due to non-availability of quality seeds. A good number of farmers are now producing paddy instead of watermelon.
   Talking to New Age, Noor Islam Morol of Narendrapur under sadar upazila, said, ‘Instead of watermelon I have produced rice in my field due to lack of seeds of the fruit.’
   ‘Good quality seeds went out of reach,’ said Babar Ali of the same village. He used to plough six bighas (one bigha is equal to (0.13 hectare) of land about six years ago. He would earn about Tk 40,000 from one bigha of land by producing watermelon each season.
   ‘But last year, I could not make profit. So I have cultivated paddy in my land instead of watermelon,’ he said.
   Rabbani Morol of Andulia under sadar upazila said watermelon farming was his ancestral profession. But he had to leave it as he incurred a huge loss. He has become a grocery shop owner now.
   Abdul Alim Tarafdar, district training officer of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Jessore, said the farmers had become discouraged in producing watermelon as it turned into a less profitable item. The department has no record of production of watermelon, he added.