, Sept. 30 -- Two farmers in Kumarkhali upazila have achieved a good harvest of pesticide-free bitter gourd using Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for the first time in the area, but low market prices have left them struggling to earn returns that match their higher cultivation costs.

Green bitter gourd vines laden with fresh produce grow on bamboo and net trellises inside a three-bigha field enclosed by blue nets in Dhalnagar village under Chandpur Union.

Farmers Dabir Uddin Farazi and Abdul Bari have cultivated the Alisa variety of bitter gourd on the land using GAP, an environment-friendly farming approach aimed at producing safe and quality food while reducing dependence on chemical pesticides.

Over the past 10 days, they have sol...