Farmers in Cua Lo are busy harvesting cantaloupes to escape the rain.

Currently, the honeydew melons in the fields of Dien Bien hamlet, Nghi Huong commune (Cua Lo town) have not yet cracked their skins and are not yet ripe. Photo: Thanh Phuc

MelonThis refreshing fruit, considered a specialty of the coastal region of Cua Lo, is very popular with tourists. This year, just as the melons were ready for harvest to serve the beach tourism industry, heavy rains were forecast in the coming days. Therefore, farmers rushed to the fields to harvest the melons before the rain came.

Ms. Dao Thi Hoa from Nghi Huong ward said: “The melons hadn't even ripened yet when the forecast predicted rain. With this type of melon, if it rains, the ripe ones will crack and rot; the unripe ones will wilt and die. Therefore, for the past two days, people have been rushing to the fields to harvest the nearly ripe melons. The harvested melons must be sold immediately; they can't be stored, so even at low prices, they have to be sold off quickly.”

Despite the unripe fruit and low prices, farmers are forced to harvest quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Typically, farmers harvest melons in the early morning, then transport them to markets for sale, and only harvest another batch in the afternoon to sell to traders. However, due toadverse weather conditions,Because it was going to rain, people rushed out to the fields to harvest all day, even picking unripe fruit.

In the melon fields of Dien Bien province, locals are busy harvesting melons, while also contacting traders to buy them, transport them to retail markets, and sell them to tourists along the coastal road.

For the watermelons that are still green, people are rushing to the fields to "tangle" the unripe fruits and move them to higher ground to prevent flooding and rotting. Photo: Thanh Phuc

"Because it's a refreshing fruit, it sells very well in hot weather, with demand exceeding supply. However, with the upcoming rain, everyone is harvesting at once, leading to oversupply and unsold produce. For example, my family has to harvest all the ripe melons this afternoon, selling as much as we can to wholesalers, and selling the rest retail at markets and to customers along the road, trying to salvage whatever we can," said Ms. Dang Loan, a melon farmer.

Many households planted their crops later, and the melons are not yet ripe enough to harvest because no one would buy them. For these areas, people have no choice but to "leave it to fate." If it rains lightly, the damage will be minimal, but if it rains heavily and for an extended period, the entire crop will be lost.

Locals sell watermelons along the coastal road. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Currently, the entire ward still has about 1.5 hectares of green, unripe melons that are not yet ready for harvest. Although not ripe enough, these households are still going to the fields, digging drainage ditches, "pulling" the melons onto higher ridges, and removing excess leaves to "save" the melons from spoilage if it rains in the coming days.

As a local crop, it is self-propagated, requires little care, no pest or disease control, and has a short growing season. There are two melon crops per year: the main crop is sown in February and harvested in early April; the secondary crop is harvested from May to the end of June.

On average, each plot of land yields an income of 15-20 million VND, with a net profit of 7-10 million VND after deducting expenses, which is seven times higher than growing rice. Therefore, at times, the area planted with melons in the ward reached tens of hectares with hundreds of households involved in cultivation.

Traders buy watermelons directly from the field. Photo: Thanh Phuc

However, in recent years, partly because the land used for growing melons has been reclaimed for the construction of the coastal road, and partly because of low melon prices and poor melon yields, farmers have suffered continuous losses, thus shrinking the area planted with melons. This spring, the entire ward only planted less than 4 hectares of muskmelon; the remaining land has been converted to growing other crops such as corn, peanuts, and watermelons.

Ms. Hoang Minh, a melon farmer, said: “Every year, my family planted 2 acres of muskmelons, but now it has decreased to less than 1 acre. Growing cucumbers is cheaper, requires less effort, and we don't have to worry about the sun or rain. With muskmelons, we spend months tending to them, and if it rains at harvest time, we lose everything.”

While in previous years the price of watermelons at the farm was 20,000 - 25,000 VND/kg, it has now dropped by half. However, fearing that heavy rain will damage the watermelons, farmers are forced to harvest them quickly and sell them off at a discount. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to local residents, this year's melon crop has suffered significant losses due to successive unseasonal rains. The melon plants withered and died, resulting in low flowering and fruit setting rates, and smaller, less attractive melons. Furthermore, now that the melons are ripening, the rains have forced farmers to sell them off at low prices. Consequently, income from melon cultivation has plummeted, reaching only 50% of what it was in previous years.

Ms. Hoang Huyen -Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Nghi Huong WardHe stated: "Mustard melon is a specialty of Nghi Huong commune, Cua Lo town. The drastic reduction in melon cultivation area will cause the locality to lose a distinctive agricultural product. In the future, in addition to training to improve melon cultivation and care techniques for high yields, the promotion and introduction of this refreshing fruit will be intensified, thereby connecting to a stable market for the melons. Soon, the promotion and introduction of mustard melon will be integrated and publicized in the town's 'Farmers' Talent Competition'."