Although there is plenty of watermelon in Chuadanga's markets, prices have not come down. Small watermelons sell for Tk 150 to 200 and large ones for Tk 350 to 400. Sellers are accused of adding up to Tk 100 to each watermelon, leaving buyers uneasy.

At Boro Bazar, Rail Bazar, Court Mor and other fruit shops in town, watermelon stalls were packed with buyers. Buyers said watermelons are selling at higher prices than last year, and called for strict monitoring by the administration to keep prices within reach of ordinary people.

Watermelons are coming to Chuadanga from the Kuakata region this year. Supply is good, but prices are comparatively high, and watermelons are being sold by the piece instead of by the kilogram.

Buyer Saiful Islam said: "A watermelon of the size I bought for Tk 150 last year now costs Tk 250. Even though it's expensive, I had to buy it for Iftar."

Sellers say they are selling at normal prices and that prices are a little higher because it is the start of the season.

Traders Harun and Tanvir said the supply of watermelons is good this time and prices are not very high, though all watermelons are being sold by the piece.

Mohammad Nazmul Mia and Mohasin Ali, wholesale and commission traders in Chuadanga, said fruit is selling at the right price in the market. Traders are selling at a little more than they buy for, and because prices are bearable for buyers, watermelons are selling in large numbers.

Asked about the administration's role in controlling the market, Sahidul Islam, market inspector of the district Department of Agricultural Marketing, said regular drives are being run to keep the market normal in Ramadan, and legal action will be taken against anyone who raises prices by creating an artificial shortage.

Mohammad Mamunul Hasan, assistant director of the Chuadanga district office of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, said regular drives are under way to ensure that watermelons and other fruit needed for Iftar are not sold at excessive prices and that no syndicate can control the market.

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