Peshawar: Waking up early in the morning, 48-year-old fruit vendor Shaheen Shah started in his Suzuki car to bring a stock of watermelons from the Chamkani fruit market to maximize capital following a surge in demand in Peshawar. the market
Shaheen, who helps her son load watermelons, regularly visits the Chamkani fruit market and attends open auctions before selling the items at her hometown Amankot in Nowshera district.
Inheriting the business from his father, he said the demand for seedless watermelons increased manifold after the start of summer and last season he sold watermelons from 80 to 50 to 80 per kg.
Shah G”, said that the demand in the open market will increase in the coming months due to hot weather in KP, resulting in more profits, he told APP while loading the unique nutritious fruit with juicy pink and red pulp.
Watermelon, which is 92 percent pure water, is preferred over other foods in summer because of its watery properties, which are useful to beat the heat during grain harvesting and construction work.
In Peshawar, people, labourers, farmers and daily wage earners make it a part of their diet to keep themselves hydrated long after the temperature rises in KP.
All age groups are very fond of watermelon because of its juicy taste, in addition to its low price compared to apples, melons, oranges and other fruits.
Peshawar’s main fruit markets like Chamkani, Gulbahar, Hashtnagri, Firdus, Nothia, Dewan Market and Tehkal are flooded with watermelon varieties from Punjab and southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
An eight-kilogram watermelon is currently sold at $640 in Peshawar, compared to $600 last year, and the price is subject to verification by the district administration.
The fruit is very popular among Paktons, Afghans and is a favorite after lunch and dinner and other food parties.
Zard Ali, a watermelon seller in the province, told APP at Chamkani fruit market that Punjab watermelon fetches ₹160,000 to ₹150,000 per truck while KP fetches ₹130,000 to ₹120,000 per 120,000 per 120,000 per 120,000 per truck. and 1 0000000000 for KP car last year.
He said that many of his colleagues involved in the watermelon trade, which has been a lucrative business for the past 10 years, are now earning double because of the increase in sales in Peshawar.
He called on the KP government to announce a special aid package for farmers affected by the recent watermelon blight.
Dr. Abdul Bhari, Head of Agricultural Extension, said watermelon cultivation started in Africa about 5,000 years ago, then spread to Egypt and Europe. In the 7th century, it impressed the people of the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent and started cultivation there.
He said that after the creation of Pakistan, watermelon cultivation was started experimentally in Sindh and Punjab and then in KP and Balochistan mainly for domestic consumption.
More than 55.87% of watermelon in Pakistan is produced in Punjab, 21.29% in Balochistan, 10.29% in Sindh and 11.84% in KP and more than 1200 varieties of watermelon are cultivated in more than 96 countries including Pakistan. Production begins in April and lasts until September in Pakistan due to the favorable soil for agriculture.
“Watermelons like sandy soil with good drainage and a soil pH of 7.5 to 8,” he says.
Dr. Bari said cold weather affects growth, while hot weather adversely affects the pollination process, leading to reduced yield. “Seedless watermelons are in high demand in the international market, but require high income, capital and management skills from farmers than seed varieties.”
Larkana, Gambar, Shehdadkot, DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Bhakar in Sindh, Mandi Bhauddin and DI Khan, Lakki Marwat, Mardan and Charsad in Punjab are suitable for commercial seedless watermelon cultivation, he said. can be obtained from seedless species.
Watermelon is a profitable and economical fruit and farmers can get up to 12 tons of yield per hectare using only two kilograms of seeds to get $10,000 per 200 kilograms.
Watermelon is popular in the Middle East for its sweetness, high energy, water and nutritional value, and significant benefits can be achieved by commercial production of seedless varieties.
