Poppy cultivation is popular in Macha.

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Due to the easy method and good quality of the trees, the macha method is now becoming very popular among the farmers as the yield is higher.

Seeing one farmer, other neighboring farmers have also started cultivating pumpkins on the platform. Due to the high profit in a short period of time, the local farmers are dreaming of making more profit by cultivating different varieties of pumpkins instead of the traditional method.

Farmers are seeing a better side as there is no problem in selling pumpkins from the land at wholesale and retail price every day. With the overall cooperation and advice of the local agriculture office, improved varieties of seeds are available to the farmers and the cultivation of pumpkin in the macha method is becoming more and more popular. Almost every month, pumpkins of different weights are hanging on the tops of the trees.

Ikrail Hossain, Amjad Mandal and Billal Hossain of Mirzapur village of the upazila said, "We sell watermelons in the fallow land of our house for more than Tk 10,000 every year."

In addition to cultivating various varieties of vegetables as a hobby, they started cultivating pumpkins in April this year with improved varieties of seeds on the advice of the Agriculture Office.

Ignoring the inclement weather, the trees are kept in good condition through intensive care and a large number of small and medium weight gourds are caught at the tops of the trees.

Farmer Ikrail Hossain said, I mainly cultivate paddy in the field. Seeing the vegetable cultivators of the neighboring villages cultivating different varieties of vegetables, with their help we cultivate different varieties of vegetables there as well as cultivate gourds with high quality seeds in the macha method.

He also said that in about five months of age, I have sold about a thousand pieces of pumpkins, both small and large. The market price was good at the beginning but did not get the expected price at the last moment. As a result, the amount of profit was a little less than I expected. All in all, I am focusing on cultivating pumpkins with vegetables day by day.

Atrai Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Krishibid KM Kausar said that pumpkin cultivation is becoming popular in Atrai as it is profitable. Lau cultivation system has been developed in about 20 machas.