Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, May 5: The number of watermelon growers is on the rise in coastal Karnataka. Many have owned up watermelon cultivation in villages like Manur, Moodagiliyar, Giliyar, Padukere, Saligrama, Karkada, Pandeshwar in Sastan etc. They have realised that this is a profitable activity.

Watermelons grown in the fields of M Jayaram Shetty, president of Raitadhwani Sangha Kota, Ramesh Herle from Moodagiliyar and Bhoja Poojary in Giliyar are ready to be marketed.

Representational image

Because of lockdown problems last year, they had heaped the watermelons near their homes and sold them. Now again a similar situation is staring them in their face. While the curfew restricts the movement of farmers, the watermelons if left in the fields rot. Under these circumstances, the farmers have resorted to social websites and media to sell their watermelons. Jayaram Shetty and Bhoja Poojary have now been selling their watermelons at ten rupees a kg. Within a day they have sold off a tonne of the fruit.

The farmers here entirely grown watermelons by using organic manure. Untimely rain however, creates problems for watermelon growers. Ten tonnes of watermelon grown by Bhoja Poojary were eaten up by worms because of the untimely rain. Jayaram Shetty Manur says that with the media publicity, the growers of watermelon are able to sell their products without problems. He said many have come to their house early in the morning to buy the fruit. Businessman from Kota, Santosh Prabhu, wants a situation under which the growers can fearlessly and freely trade their fruits to be created. He wants the government to extend encouragement to such corps. His other suggestion was for the government to buy watermelon directly from the farmers.