Watermelon growers in Udupi district are a distraught lot as the prices have crashed in the markets, which they blame on COVID-19.
Watermelon cultivation has picked up in the district in the last decade. According to the Department of Horticulture, the area under watermelon cultivation in the district was now 55 hectares with the production being 2,200 tonnes and the total value of the production being ₹2.2 crore. The increase in land under watermelon cultivation can be gauged by the fact that it was being cultivated only in 13 hectares of land in the district in 2010-11.
Farmers blame COVID-19
The watermelon grown is sold not just in the district but also transported to other districts and also other States such as Kerala and Maharashtra. The farmers blame the restrictions placed by the authorities such as ban on temple fairs, weekly markets, and appeal to people to restrict their visits to public places because of COVID-19.
Sudhir Balegar, farmer, who cultivates watermelon on three acres of land at Kambadakone village, told The Hindu that he was selling watermelon at ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 per tonne. This rate only helped him to just cover the costs of production. “There is a fall in demand from other districts and states for the watermelon because of COVID-19,” he said.
Suresh Nayak, a farmer who cultivates watermelon on 13 acres of land at Munduje village near Hiriyadka, said that watermelon growers made profit when the watermelon was sold for ₹10 to ₹15 per kg. “But now the rate has crashed to ₹6 per kg. I have no alternative and sell it at the rate prevailing in the market. But this results in loss for me,” he said.
Market rate down
Guruprasad, Assistant Director of Horticulture, said that usually people ate watermelons at temple fairs and such other events. They purchased watermelons at weekly markets. But these events had been prohibited affecting the sales and brought down the market rate.
“When there is lesser movement of people outside, it affects the sales. The sale to districts of North Karnataka and other States had been affected because there were such restrictions in place there too. Hence, some watermelon growers are not cultivating the second crop in the district,” he said.
