Rows of watermelons hang from trellises built over a pond in Madaripur, creating an unusual sight that has drawn curious visitors and sparked interest among local young people.
The innovative farming method has brought success to Tarun Kanti, a young agricultural entrepreneur from Ward 3 of Kalkini Municipality, who learned the technique from YouTube.
Tarun, who has been interested in farming since childhood, previously cultivated gourds, pumpkins and other vegetables alongside fish. After learning about trellis-based watermelon cultivation online, he decided to try the method experimentally.
Encouraged by last year’s results, he expanded the project this season.
Tarun is now practising integrated farming on a roughly three-bigha pond, where he cultivates fish and vegetables while growing watermelons on trellises built over the water.
This season, he has cultivated watermelons on one bigha of land and expects to earn nearly Tk1 lakh from the crop. He earned around Tk50,000 from watermelon sales last year.
According to Tarun, watermelons are currently selling for around Tk100 per kilogramme in the local market.
“I have been interested in agriculture since childhood. I learned about trellis-based watermelon cultivation from YouTube and initially started it on an experimental basis. After getting a good yield, I am now planning to expand the cultivation,” he said.
He also encouraged unemployed young people to consider agriculture as a profession instead of relying solely on conventional employment.
The farm has attracted visitors from surrounding areas, with several young people seeking information about the cultivation method.
Ibrahim Sabuj, a new agricultural entrepreneur from Kalkini, said consumers are increasingly interested in safe, locally produced watermelons.
“Many people are buying watermelons from here for their families because they are locally produced and considered safe,” he said.
Sourav Halder, a small-scale farmer from Nabagram in Dasar, said watermelons, although generally considered a summer fruit, also have good demand during the monsoon. “Growing them on trellises helps produce a good yield and also makes the farm attractive,” he said.
Kalkini Upazila Agriculture Officer Sudip Biswas said off-season watermelon cultivation could be profitable because of strong market demand, relatively low production costs and good prices.
He encouraged unemployed young people to take up agriculture with proper training and modern technology. The agriculture office, he said, would provide necessary advice and technical assistance to new entrepreneurs.
Tarun’s initiative shows how innovative farming methods can help young people create employment and income while making better use of limited agricultural space.
