SUSHANTA GHOSH, SOHRAB HOSSAIN, and DIPANKAR ROY

A bumper harvest in the coastal districts of Barishal and Khulna had piqued watermelon farmers’ hopes, yet they are now struggling to sell the summer fruit even at marked prices.

Low interest from wholesalers, rising transport costs, and a drop in demand after the month of Ramadan have added up to their plight.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Barishal had targeted watermelon cultivation on 62,687 hectares this season. Farmers exceeded this target, achieving about 113 percent, with a total of 70,662 hectares -- nearly 16,000 hectares more than last year.

Production is expected to exceed 2.8 million tonnes, up from around 2.1 million tonnes last year. The region now accounts for about 75 percent of the country’s total watermelon production.

Wholesale transactions centring watermelon trade in Barishal alone exceeded Tk 4,500 crore last year and may reach around Tk 6,000 crore this season. At the retail level, market value could be up to three times higher.

However, the situation at the field level is bleak.

Riaj Mridha, a farmer from Nurabad union in Charfesson upazila of Bhola, said he spent around Tk 100,000 to cultivate watermelons. He harvested 2,200 watermelons and brought them to Barishal by trawler for sale.

He sold them for around Tk 200,000 but spent Tk 50,000 on transport, commissions, and labour costs.

“How much profit is left?” he lamented.

The fruit, popular during Ramadan, has now lost demand, and prices have dropped sharply, said Mosharraf Hossain, a farmer from Charfesson.

“We are facing heavy losses,” he added.

Nazrul Islam Sikdar, additional director of the DAE in Barishal, said farmers are not receiving the expected prices.

“Farmers are even leaving produce unharvested in some cases. The fuel crisis is the main reason behind this situation,” he said.

Kamal, a trawler owner operating along the Kirtankhola River, said he often has to buy fuel at prices 30 percent higher than usual from retailers.

“Transporting goods to Dhaka now costs around Tk 40,000, up from Tk 20,000 to Tk 22,000,” said Abdur Rob, a transport company staff member on Port Road, Barishal.

“Trips that previously took 8-10 hours now take 24-30 hours, increasing the cost of transporting perishable goods,” he added, blaming frequent and long refuelling stops for the delay.

Rising transport costs have dampened wholesale traders’ enthusiasm and hiked up retail prices. The gap between farm and retail prices has widened more than threefold.

Farmers sell medium to large watermelons at Tk 50 to Tk 90 per piece, while retail prices range from Tk 100 to Tk 500.

Jasim Sardar, owner of Sagar Fruit Bhandar, a wholesale trader on Port Road, said fewer traders are coming to purchase watermelons, resulting in weak demand despite ample supply.

Wholesale trader Ganesh Dutta acknowledged the significant gap between wholesale and retail prices.

“We sell large watermelons weighing 8 to 12 kilogrammes for Tk 120 to Tk 200, but in retail markets they are priced at Tk 400 to Tk 550,” he said.

WHEN BOON BECOMES BANE

Patuakhali accounts for nearly half of watermelon cultivation in the Barishal division. According to the DAE, around 35,000 hectares of land have been brought under watermelon cultivation this year -- about 7,000 hectares more than last season.

Mohammad Amanul Islam, deputy director of the DAE in Patuakhali, said favourable weather ensured good production, but prices fell as supply increased.

Some coastal farmers harvested early to profit from high demand during Ramadan.

However, farmers are not getting the expected prices in wholesale markets as demand has now dropped.

“Although retail prices range between Tk 100 and Tk 400 per piece, we are forced to sell at nearly half the price in wholesale markets. In many cases, we are incurring losses,” said Nazrul Mia, a farmer from Haridebpur in Galachipa.

SURE PROFIT TURNS INTO GAMBLE

Dakop upazila remains the largest watermelon-producing area in Khulna, with around 6,800 acres under cultivation this season -- more than half the district’s total.

Despite good production, falling prices have left farmers concerned.

The district’s DAE said early-harvested watermelons from Patuakhali had saturated markets in Khulna early, pushing prices down. As a result, Dakop farmers did not get the expected prices.

Local farmer Nixon Mondal said watermelon farming, once profitable, has now become akin to “gambling.”

Meanwhile, in Khulna, watermelon was grown on 17,291 hectares last year, dropping to 12,930 hectares this year.

Nazrul Islam, deputy director of the DAE in Khulna, said many farmers failed to recover production costs last year, reducing interest in watermelon farming and shrinking cultivated area.