Early-season watermelons in Nghia Dan fetch good prices.

(Baonghean.vn) - These days, watermelon farmers in Nghia Dan district (Nghe An province) are very excited because it's the harvest season.They are bought by traders at high prices, yielding profits of tens of millions of VND per hectare.

According to the agricultural calendar, the watermelon harvest is still about 20 days away, but many farmers in Nghia Thinh commune, Nghia Dan district, have already harvested their watermelons early and are selling them at double the price of last year.

Thanks to proper cultivation techniques, Nghia Thinh watermelons are uniform in size and sweet, making them popular with customers. Photo: Minh Thai

Previously, this sandy riverside land was often left fallow. This year, Mr. Vo Van Thanh (Hamlet 10, Nghia Thinh Commune) boldly bid with the Veterans Association of Hamlet 2 to invest in watermelon cultivation. During the watermelon season, the weather was rainy, so the yield and production decreased compared to last year, estimated at 1 ton per sao (approximately 1000 square meters). However, because the watermelons were planted early, the selling price was higher than in previous years, by 1,500 - 2,000 VND/kg, currently selling at the field for 6,000 VND/kg. With 1.5 hectares of watermelons, after 3 months of cultivation, Mr. Thanh's family earned a profit of over 90 million VND.

According to local calculations, if watermelons sell for 4,000 VND/kg, farmers will make a profit. However, in recent years, watermelon cultivation has also been the riskiest crop, as prices depend on the Chinese market. Learning from previous years, due to mass planting without staggered planting, watermelons in Nghia Thinh only sold for 1,500-2,000 VND/kg, or even none at all. This year, many households planted 20 days earlier to sell their watermelons sooner, resulting in higher income.

Farmers in Nghia Thinh commune are selling early-season watermelons to traders; currently, they are being sold at the field for 6,000 VND/kg. Photo: Minh Thai

Mr. Nguyen Van Lien, Chairman of the Nghia Thinh Commune Farmers' Association, added: "The entire commune currently has 5 hectares of watermelon. Although this is a crop that brings high economic efficiency, the market is unstable, so income is also precarious, with good years and bad years. This year, people planted in scattered batches, not all ripening at once like in previous years, thus avoiding price manipulation by traders. Currently, the weather is hot, and the demand for watermelons is high; traders buy them as soon as they ripen."

The entire Nghia Dan district has nearly 700 hectares of watermelon, mainly grown in the communes of Nghia Son, Nghia Yen, Nghia Lam, etc. This is also the main crop in agricultural production for the people. In recent years, the district has promoted the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge to farmers to apply and improve crop efficiency.

Minh Thai