Pokhara Farmers Cultivate Watermelons on Barren Land, Expecting High Yields

Pokhara. Watermelon vines planted in February on the banks of the Vijaypur River in Bagarkot Kaseri, Pokhara Metropolitan City-13, are now laden with fruit. Sundar Baral, 32, from PUMDI Bhumdi, Pokhara-22, has started commercial watermelon cultivation on 25 ropanis of previously barren sandy land.

He planted 3,500 seedlings of the Saraswati variety in February. Currently, his farm is selling an average of 200 kg of watermelon daily. Baral stated that at a rate of Rs 60 per kg, the daily turnover is Rs 12,000. His target is to achieve a turnover of Rs 1.5 million this year. 'There is no need to worry about the market for watermelons; buyers come directly to the farm to purchase them,' he said.

Encouraged by the good production from two ropanis of land in the first year as a trial, he expanded the cultivation. He chose watermelon cultivation as a cash crop that can generate good income in a short period from land that is only used for paddy cultivation once a year and remains fallow the rest of the time.

Another farmer in the same area, Bharat Bahadur Parajuli, has also cultivated watermelons on 11 ropanis of land. The seedlings transplanted in the last week of February have started yielding fruit. 'I am confident of earning more than Rs 300,000 this year; cucumbers and beans are also being produced in the field,' Parajuli said.

According to him, the Pokhara Metropolitan City Agriculture Division has provided seeds and mulching plastic at a 50 percent subsidy. He mentioned that hailstorms and rain on March 17 and April 10, when the seedlings were growing and flowering, caused some damage to the crops. 'Now, problems of monkeys eating the fruit and people stealing them have also increased,' he said. Parajuli's experience is that sandy soil and high temperatures are necessary for watermelon cultivation.

According to Kiran Baral, chairman of Pokhara Metropolitan City-13, young people are also attracted to watermelon cultivation, which started two years ago after soil testing. Last year, watermelons worth Rs 15 million were produced in this area. This year, Chairman Baral said that production will decrease slightly due to damage caused by hailstorms and rain. Currently, 25 farmers are actively engaged in commercial watermelon cultivation in this area.

According to Manohar Kadariya, chief of the Pokhara Metropolitan Agriculture Division, the division provides various subsidies to encourage farmers towards agriculture. Kadariya informed that a 50 percent subsidy is provided for seeds, mulching plastic, hail nets, and organic fertilizers for watermelon cultivation.

Second Watermelon Festival
A 'Watermelon Festival' is scheduled to be organized on May 5 at the ward office premises of Pokhara Metropolitan City-13 with the aim of encouraging farmers who cultivate watermelons and muskmelons. Narendraprasad Adhikari, chairman of the Agriculture Network Pokhara-13, informed that outstanding farmers will be honored at the festival.

Adhikari said that all preparations for the festival are complete and various competitions will also be held. With the rise in temperature, tourist traffic in Pokhara market has increased, which has also boosted the demand for watermelons.