Photo: BSS

PATUAKHALI, Aug 2, 2025 (BSS)- Farmers in coastal upazila Rangabali of the district are dreaming of making huge profit from cultivating the desert fruit sammam.
 
They are expressing great joy over the yield of sammam, the juicy fruit of the Middle East. Farmers hope that the yield will be good and this time they will get a good price.
 
The experimental cultivation of sammam (a desert fruit that looks like watermelon) started in 2021 in Mollar Char village of Barabaishdia union in Rangabali upazila and achieved incredible success.
 
The land that was once underwater and could not produce any crops, now farmers are dreaming of making their fortune from the land.
 
Local farmer Ali Akkas Molla, 50, said, "This is the first time I have cultivated sammam on 35 decimals of my land. All the land I have cultivated was abandoned earlier. There was no crop. Now I have cultivated sammam and achieved a good yield." 

Another farmer from the same area, Tofail Mridha, 48, said, "This year, the yield of sammam is much better compared to last year. The price is also quite good. We are selling ripe sammam at Taka 130 to 150 per kg. With this, I am living well with my family.”
 
He also said that sammam is a fruit of the desert. So, no one knew the name of this fruit in our area before. Now many people are interested in cultivating sammam. 

“Since it is profitable in terms of yield and price, we are more interested in cultivating this fruit. We will cultivate it every year,” he said.
 
Farmers of the upazila also said that they didn’t get any support from the government to cultivate summan. They have not been given any guidance regarding training, seed management, application of fertilizers and pesticides or marketing. Neither the upazila nor the district agricultural office is helping them in this regard.
 
“If government support is available and supports are provided for sammam cultivation, then the fate of the people of this coastal region will be changed. 

Not only that, sammam cultivation in the char area of Rangabali can be a big aspect for changing local economy.
  
Rangabali Upazila Agriculture Officer Asaduzzaman said, under the Smallholder Agriculture Competitiveness Project, off-season sammam cultivation was carried out in the upazila for the first time in 2021. 

In the current season, sammam is cultivated on about 12 hectares of land in various unions of the upazila. Off-season sammam cultivation will start in Chhotabaishdia and Barabaishdia unions next year.
 
He also said that the agriculture extension department is doing best to help the farmers. Farmers are being given training and ideas about cultivating high-value crops.
 
In addition, farmers are becoming interested in off-season sammam cultivation due to the low incidence of diseases and pests management and good price of the fruit.