People are always drawn to the juicy watermelon. But towards the end of the season, the market for the fruit has a contradiction: it has grown sweeter, and it has also grown dearer.

A visit to markets in Badda, Rampura, Khilgaon and Malibagh on Friday (1 May) found that most watermelons on sale now come from the Khulna region. Relatively small, thin-skinned and sweeter, they are especially popular with buyers. But with supply falling, prices are rising.

Md Rafiqul Islam, who sells watermelons at Rampura market, said mainly Khulna watermelons are coming in now. They are small but very sweet, and the thin skin means more flesh inside. Buyers are satisfied with the taste but object a little to the price.

He said large watermelons and those from Barishal are no longer available. The big Barishal fruit that were around earlier are finished, so supply has fallen, and that is why prices are going up.

Abdul Karim, who sells watermelons near Khilgaon rail gate, said watermelons taste best at this time. Khulna watermelons are small but sweeter, so people who buy once come back. The problem is that prices are now high even at the wholesale market, he said: "We are not making much profit; rather, our costs have gone up."

He said watermelons may not be in the market at all after another 15 to 20 days. The large and Barishal watermelons are finished for this year, with only a few still around. Barishal watermelons may be red but not necessarily sweet, he said, whereas Khulna watermelons are guaranteed red and sweet. With the season nearing its end, prices will rise further.

Sohel Mia, a seller in Chowdhurypara, Malibagh, described the same experience. As the days pass, watermelon prices keep rising because supply is falling, he said. Khulna watermelons are the mainstay now; they are good quality but few, so prices have to be kept high.

Many buyers leave after hearing the price, while others buy for the taste, he said. "A few days ago I sold watermelons at Tk 30 a kg. Now there is no way to sell below Tk 40. Some selected watermelons I am selling at Tk 50 a kg."

Buyers praise the taste, but many complained about the price. Nazma Begum, a Rampura resident, said the watermelons now are really very sweet, much better than the ones she used to buy, but expensive. "A few days ago you could get a big watermelon for Tk 200. Now it takes Tk 200 just to buy a small one."

She said the family used to buy a big watermelon to share, but now even a small one costs more. "One watermelon used to last two or three days. Now one doesn't last a day. That's how things are."

Riaz Uddin, a Khilgaon resident, said demand for watermelon is high in hot weather. It has turned a little cooler with the rain, but demand has not fallen. Because prices are high, he cannot buy as much as he would like, and watermelons cannot be kept for long, so people buy what they can when they find it.

He said the sellers call them Khulna watermelons and say that is why they are good, which is fair enough, but it would be better for ordinary people if prices were a little lower. A watermelon now selling for Tk 200 would be fine at Tk 100 to Tk 120, he said.

Although buyers are somewhat unhappy with prices, sellers say such a rise at the end of the season is not unusual. Rafiqul Islam, the Rampura seller, said late-season fruit is always a little dearer, and the ones arriving now are picked out carefully, so prices are higher.

Some buyers accept the price for the sake of taste. Shimul Begum, a Rampura resident, said that although prices are high, the current watermelons are much better. Earlier, even big ones were often not properly red, and some that were red were not sweet. Now all of them are red and sweet. There is no harm in paying a bit more for something good, she said, but if prices rise further she will have to stop eating them.

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