Watermelon cultivation is picking up in Toedwang Gewog, Punakha. In 2018, only three farmers had taken it up when it was first introduced in the gewog. This year, the number has increased to eight farmers.
According to the Gewog Agriculture Extension Office, this is largely due to the successful yield of watermelon in the gewog. The gewog produced seven metric tones of watermelon last year.
So far, farmers have not faced any problem with selling their produce, as it is the only gewog cultivating watermelon in the dzongkhag.
However, with some farmers taking up large-scale cultivation, the agriculture extension officer of Toedwang Gewog, Leela Maya Adhikari, has shared concerns over market availability in the future if the people in all the gewogs in the dzongkhag start venturing into watermelon cultivation.
Chenga Dorji
