Adulteration fear hits watermelon sales in Dindigul

MADURAI: Farmers expressed concern over a steep fall in the price of watermelons, the most sought-after fruit by consumers during the scorching summer.

An aggrieved farmer, S Elladurai from Andipatti village of Palani block in Dindigul district, noted that the crop yield is better when compared to the last year with 15 metric tonnes yield against the 10 to 12 metric tonnes in the previous year. However, the price has stooped to a new low of Rs 3 per fruit, he said, adding that last year, a watermelon fetched Rs 13 at the market. He attributed this unhealthy trend to the false information that watermelons were adulterated with chemicals.

Followed by Tindivanam, Andipatti in Palani is prominently known for watermelon, which is largely grown, and during peak season about 200 to 300 tonnes of watermelons would be transported to parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka and exported too, Elladurai said.

According to P Ramesh, another farmer from Andipatti, the farmers are facing unprecedented challenges this year because of the rumour that consumption of any watermelon with bright red pigment is harmful as it’s artificially ripened.

Despite incurring an expenditure of Rs 70,000 per acre, the watermelon farmers could not reap the expected profits, he said.

“Only if a fruit fetches Rs 8 to Rs 10, the farmers can get small profits or just break even. As farmers relied largely on this summer season to capitalise their yield, a rumour spread through media has affected us a lot,” Ramesh told DT Next on Sunday.

Dindigul Deputy Director of Horticulture, B Gayathri, when contacted, clarified that the red colour in the watermelon is due to the natural pigment called lycopene, which also seen in tomatoes, red guavas and grapes.

The yellow variety of watermelon gets its colour from beta-carotene, which is also found in vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and bell peppers, she pointed out. She further said these lycopene and beta-carotene compounds help to improve eyesight.

Regarding the false information, awareness has been created by the Horticulture Department among the public through campaigns, she said.

In Dindigul district, watermelon is cultivated in an area of 800 acres and the average yield of watermelon crop is around 8 to 10 metric tonnes per acre, resulting in a total production of 6,400 tonnes.

Generally, watermelon is sown in December, January and February and harvested and marketed during the summer months of March, April and May for public consumption.

This fruit is consumed by people of all age groups, but false information spread through the media in recent times has backfired on the cultivators.

Recently, field inspections were conducted by the Palani Block Horticulture officials, who collected and confirmed that no artificial chemicals were added to enhance the colour and taste of the fruit.