by Susant Kumar Das, I am in DNA of India
With a sudden jump in mercury in Odisha, the demand for the cool and lusciously succulent watermelons is picking up in the Millennium city as early as in February. The watermelons season, which usually starts in the month of March- April, has come at least a month earlier this year.
As the maximum temperature has already crossed 38 degree Celsius in Cuttack, vendors selling watermelons could be seen on many major roads in the city. People crowding the stalls and trying to beat the heat with the juicy red fruit is now a common sight.
Selling at Rs 15 (USD 0.22) a kg, watermelon vendors are also happy with the rising demand for the fruit. “This time, the fruit has arrived early and is already popular. The business will pick up with further rise in mercury in the coming days,” asserted Kabi Prasad, a fruit vendor at Badambadi.
Though one kilogram of watermelon is now being sold at Rs 15 (USD 0.22), it is expected that the price will come down to around Rs 10 (USD 0.15) per kg in the coming days with the arrival of the fruit from neighbouring districts.
Another seller who is making a brisk business these days “Summer has arrived early this year and our sales have increased with rising temperature. We are selling 200 watermelons everyday as it is the most preferred fruit of this season,” S. Das, another fruit seller.
During summer, the watermelons are mostly preferred as it is an important source of water and it also helps one to fight the heat. Melon is the perfect fruit to hydrate the body and quench your thirst, he added.
Source: I am in DNA of India