Thousands of immature watermelons arrive by trawler at Chandpur's river ghat every day. They are brought from various char areas and watermelon-growing districts, and wholesalers then send them by truck and pickup to different parts of the country.

Buyers complain that at the start of the season many farmers and traders are marketing immature watermelons in the hope of bigger profits. Buyers are not getting the taste they expect, and questions are being raised about the quality of watermelons on the market.

At Chowdhury Ghat in Chandpur town, trawlers laden with watermelons were seen docking from dawn and throughout the day. Workers quickly unload the fruit and take it to the wholesale depots, from where it is supplied to various districts by truck and other transport.

Watermelon growers Lokman, from Bhola, and Abu Talib, from Patuakhali, told Jagonews: "Some immature watermelons reached the market at the start of Ramadan, which gave watermelon traders and growers a bit of a bad name. But the watermelons we have brought are all ripe. Watermelon prices are lower this year than last year. The full season will come after Eid, and then prices will fall further."

Buyer Jamir Talukdar said: "Most of the watermelons in the market are immature now. Traders say prices are low, but to us they don't seem low at all. Every year when watermelon season comes, a syndicate raises the price. The authorities concerned need to step up monitoring to stop the sale of immature watermelons and control prices."

Md Farid Hossain, a watermelon trader at Chowdhury Ghat, said: "This year watermelon sales did not really start at the beginning of Ramadan, but they have picked up towards the end. The watermelons have started to ripen fully now. Some earlier ones were immature, but the ones now are fully ripe. Prices and sales are very good."

According to sellers, 100 large watermelons are selling for Tk 30,000, 100 medium ones for Tk 15,000-20,000 and 100 small ones for Tk 10,000.

Abdullah Al Imran, assistant director at the Chandpur district office of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, said they had been running market drives since the start of Ramadan so that buyers could shop without trouble, and many people had been fined after evidence of various irregularities was found. If specific complaints about watermelons are received, drives will be run there too, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.