Desert fruit 'shamam' in Chapainawabganj

A sweet melon of Saudi Arabia, 'shamam', is now being grown in Bangladesh, It was Monirul Islam of Chapainawabganj who has successfully cultivated this desert fruit.

Monirul brought the seeds of the sweet melon, also called musk melon or rock melon, from Saudi Arabia when he returned home after serving for 16 years in his career as a driver there.

Following successful cultivation of the desert fruit, Monirul is now planning to go for commercial production.

Monirul said that after he returned home, he took up agricultural farming in his village in Jhilim union. He wanted to do something new. He then collected four types of 'shamam' seeds from two Middle Eastern countries. Along with two varieties from Saudi Arabia, Monirul also brought two varieties of the seeds from Kuwait through his relatives.

Three months ago, he sowed the seeds in the Barendra area of Chapainawabganj and waited for the fruit. he was no t disappointed.

Monirul's 'shamam' cultivation has now been a talk of the town.

On nearly 50 decimals of his land, he has produced 3,732 kgs of 'shamam' in this experimental production. One 'shamam' could be 1 to 3 kgs. Among the four varieties, one is yellow, two are green and the other one is striped. The fruits are fragrant and delicious.

Chapainawabganj Horticulture Centre’s deputy director Saifur Rahman told Prothom Alo that this is called 'rockmelon'.

The first yield has been promising.

He said the fruits contain 8-10 per cent sugar, beta-carotene, vitamin-C, potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and other contents.

“There is a huge potential for the fruits in Bangladesh as this experiment shows that the fruits have adjusted well with our climate,” he added.