Hailstorm destroys 50% watermelon crop; prices inflate to new high

Hailstorm destroys 50% watermelon crop; prices inflate to new high

NAGPUR. Apr 9

WATERMELON  crop inVtdarbha has been left devastated due to hailstorm which struck in the month of March. The farmers of watermelon suffered heavy losses resulting in short supply of the crop in the wholesale market. "The recent hailstorm has destroyed watermelon crop by upto 50 per cent in most places where it is grown," said Shabaz Khan, a third generation watermelon wholesaler at the Cotton Market.

He said that with reduced supplies from the farmers end there was a shortage of watermelons in the wholesale market due to which prices had shot up to new highs. The prices of watermelon are quoted at Rs 10 per kilogram compared to Rs 5 per kilogram last year in the wholesale market. The watermelon crop had started arriving in the market from the past one month but there was no guarantee that the supply would continue till the end of June when the season would end and the supply got exhausted. Also, there was a huge demand for export of the crop. People had become more aware of the health benefits of watermelon during summer and were buying in a big way. 

This had put pressure on the supplies and had aggravated the problem on the price front, he added. Previously. about 20 trucks of watermelon used to be downloaded in (he market. But this year, the picture was totally different as four to five trucks were being unloaded on a daily basis, he pointed out. There were eight wholesalers of watermelon at (he Cotton Market. Watermelon crop was mostly grown in the sandbeds of rivers and streams throughout Vidarbha. Watermelons from far off places like Kerala were also coming to the markel to meet the demand of the consumers.

Posted in: News 2014