According to the APMC traders, this year, the supply of watermelon has been 50 per cent more than last season. As a result, the price has fallen to as low as Rs 5-Rs 8 kg in the wholesale market. “Last year, farmers who had cultivated watermelons received a good price for their produce.

As a result, this year’s production was even more, which has brought the price down,” said Balkrishna Shinde, a fruit trader at APMC. The wholesale market has been receiving more than 100 tonnes of the produce every day from across the state.

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Another trader, Loknath Mandlik, said, “Around 100 trucks filled with watermelon are coming to APMC. The supply will remain the same for at least a month.”

Retailers make hay
However, the drop in price has not compelled retailers and fruit sellers to decrease their rate. While retailers continue to sell watermelon at no less than Rs 20 per kg, street-side fruit-sellers are making a quick buck by selling slices of watermelon at Rs 10. With every melon divided to 15 slices, they are making Rs 400-Rs 500 per day.

This week, a hailstorm hit Beed district that affected the watermelon crop, damaging the produce that was ready to be dispatched to the market. However, traders said that the damage would not have a major impact on the price of watermelons.