Watermelon prices hit record high, Nghe An farmers hit it big

These days, Mrs. Tran Thi Binh in Hamlet 11, Dien Thanh Commune (Dien Chau) is concentrating on harvesting the first watermelons of the season. Although it is a holiday, all family members are working in the fields with the joy of a good harvest and good prices.

Farmers in Dien Thanh commune, Dien Chau harvest spring watermelons with joy of a good harvest and good price. Photo: Quang An

Ms. Binh shared: "This year's melon crop is good, the fruit is big and beautiful, with lots of water, so traders really like it. My family grows 3 sao of melon, the yield is estimated at 1.3 tons/sao, giving an estimated income of over 30 million VND."

Not only Mrs. Binh's family but also hundreds of households in Dien Thanh commune - the melon region of Dien Chau district are excited because melons have a good harvest and good prices. Every morning, people go to the fields very early to harvest in time to sell to traders.

Early-season watermelons are big, beautiful, and juicy, so they are favored by traders. Photo: Quang An

Ms. Thai Thi Ha in Hamlet 10, Dien Thanh shared: "At this time in 2018, watermelons were flooded, so they had to be left fallow or fed to cows, many households lost everything. Therefore, this year, people are determined to plant and take care of the watermelons carefully, along with favorable weather and stable output, so almost everyone has a good income."

Spring melons are planted in February and harvested in early May. Every year, the average selling price at the field is 4,000 - 6,000 VND/kg, but this year the fruit is large, beautiful, and it is a holiday season with hot weather, so melons are sold strongly; traders buy at 9,000 VND/kg at the field. Although the price is high, the melons are all sold out within the day.

Traders come to the fields to buy watermelons for people. Photo: Quang An

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy - a melon buyer said: "Since the harvest a few days ago, the price of melons I imported was 7,300 VND/kg, however, due to the market's preference, this price has continuously increased and has now reached 9,000 VND/kg, double that of previous seasons."

The reason for the sharp increase in melon prices is due to the hot weather, the high demand for refreshment and fruit consumption of people, especially at restaurants and tourist attractions. In addition, the Chinese market is also currently promoting the import of this type of melon, causing the melon to be "out of stock".

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy - watermelon buyer in Dien Chau

With the price of melons at 9,000 VND/kg, the average yield is 1.2 tons/sao, each sao of melons currently brings in an income of over 10 million VND. Households with over 2 sao of melons can earn tens of millions of VND, this is one of the crops that brings the highest economic efficiency at this time.

Dien Thanh commune is the key watermelon growing area of ​​Dien Chau district. Graphics: Quang An

This year, the entire Dien Chau district planted 250 hectares of spring watermelon, and has already harvested about 80 hectares, concentrated in the communes of Dien Thanh, Dien Thinh, Dien Loc... The remaining area is expected to be harvested in 8-10 days.

This year, watermelons are less susceptible to pests and diseases, the fruits are large and beautiful, and the average yield is 1.2 tons/sao. Unlike previous seasons, this year's watermelons are planted in alternating seasons, so farmers can harvest continuously and have daily income. After harvesting this crop of watermelons, farmers will focus on growing seeds to plant another summer-autumn crop.

Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dien Chau district