Gandaki, May 23: Watermelon farming initiated at Kundahar of Pokhara Metropolitan City has expanded. Farmers have collectively grown watermelons on 14 ropanis, and individual farmers have cultivated the fruit in various locations.
This year’s watermelon farming has excited the farmers and increased the potential for farming, said Milan Adhikari, Associate Secretary of the local Suryachanbdra Farmers Group, expressing confidence that many farmers here will engage in watermelon cultivation next year. Meanwhile, the farmer school for integrated pest management (IPM) operated in Kundahar to inspire the farmers of Pokhara-13 and 14 has become effective in watermelon farming.
Adhikari, the associate secretary, shared that due to the direct supervision and field training by agricultural technicians aimed at supporting the commercialization of production from seed to market, there was a great opportunity to learn many things about watermelon farming through the school.
According to Uma Pun, the agricultural technician of Pokhara metropolis, practical studies and research are being conducted with farmers here every Sunday during the total 17-week duration of the training course in watermelon farming.
The chairman of the group, Bishwaraj Sapkota, said that approximately 5,500 kilograms of watermelons harvested from the IPM farmers’ school have already been supplied to the market, and preparations are underway to take the remaining ones to the market as well. Manahar Kadariya, head of the Pokhara Metropolitan City, Agriculture Development Branch, watermelon farming, which was previously only conducted as a general trial in Pokhara, has expanded this year to cover an area of two hundred ropanis.
He said that the Sweet Honey variety of watermelon was also tested along with the Saraswati variety at IPM farmer school and the Saraswati variety of watermelon is suitable for the Pokhara and surrounding areas. Kadariya stated that the Sweet Honey variety watermelon is tastier than others.
