After selling beef at Tk 500, a local doctor named Nahid-Ul-Haque has started selling watermelons for Tk 50-100 in Faridpur. Pineapples are also being sold at Tk 30 each. Buyers are happy to get these at low prices.

Watermelons and pineapples were sold at these prices on the road in front of Faridpur Press Club from morning to afternoon on Friday, 22 March.

Small watermelons are being sold for Tk 50, medium ones for Tk 100 and large ones for Tk 200-250, while the same watermelons sell for Tk 250-800 in the market.

Earlier, hormone and andrology specialist Dr Nahid-Ul-Haque began a programme selling beef at Tk 500 a kg for the holy month of Ramadan. He started it by slaughtering five cattle at the Eidgah in the town's Laxmipur mahalla.

Sagar of the voluntary organisation Three Z Creative Media is helping with the low-price watermelon sales. He said watermelons weighing 4-5 kg are sold for Tk 100 and those weighing 7-8 kg for Tk 200. Every watermelon is cut and shown to buyers before it is sold.

Dr Nahid-Ul-Haque said the initiative was taken on behalf of Three Z Creative Media out of the urge to do something for the ordinary people of Faridpur. "During Ramadan, beef, watermelon and pineapple have an appeal among ordinary Muslims. But because of high prices they cannot afford to buy them. This initiative is for them. It will continue throughout Ramadan."

Rickshaw puller Alamgir Hossain, who came to buy a watermelon, said: "This is the first time I've bought a watermelon this Ramadan. I got it cheap. That's why I could buy it."

Another buyer, Niloy Hossain, said: "The price is low and the quality is good. The colour of the watermelon is good and it smells nice too. I liked it as soon as I saw it."

Prabir Kanti Bala Panna, general secretary of the Faridpur Nagorik Committee, said it was a noble initiative by Dr Nahid-Ul-Haque, giving poor and low-income people the chance to put a little watermelon in their families' mouths at iftar.

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