The price of watermelon has climbed to an all-time high of Tk 60 a kg in Dhaka's retail outlets despite bumper production of the juicy summer fruit this year.
An almost 200-per cent price gap between farm's end in coastal region and retail level deprives both growers and consumers of the financial dividend, say insiders.
A syndicate of traders in Sadarghat, Dhaka's Badamtoli, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal, Khulna and Gopalganj are mostly reaping the benefits.
A medium-to-large fruit (5.5-10 kg) now retails at Tk 250-600 per piece (Tk 45-60 a kg) in Dhaka city.
According to the monitoring and evaluation unit of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), watermelon acreage has increased to nearly 47,000 hectares this year from 43,347 hectares in 2021.
An estimated 1.9-million tonnes of the crop could be harvested if weather remains sound, it predicts.
Watermelon production hit an all-time high of 1.77-million tonnes in fiscal year 2021, marking 22.5-per cent growth over that of 2020 when overall output was 1.45-million tonnes at 38,824 hectares.
Department of Agriculture Marketing (DAM) asst director TM Rashed Khan says farmers in Bhola, Patuakhali, Barishal, Pirojpur, Barguna, Cox's Bazar, Noakhali and Chattogram started harvesting melon two weeks back.
However, melon harvest has just begun in Gopalganj, Khulna, Chuadanga, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts.
"After two years into the pandemic, farmers are expecting some benefits this year amid an anticipated bumper harvest," Mr Khan tells the FE.
Coastal farmers are making a profit of Tk 2.0-3.0 a kg by selling melon at Tk 120-180 (Tk 14-20) based on size, he says.
According to the DAM official, melon costs Tk 170-240 wholesale in Bhola and Patuakhali.
However, the FE found medium to large melon (7.0 kg-10 kg) being sold at Tk 250-450 (Tk 35-45 a kg) based on size and quality in Sadarghat area.
Faridul Islam, a wholesaler, said melon is pricier in Bhola, Patuakhali and other districts this year as the market has been normal after two long years.
The farmers, who cultivated land in advance, are now harvesting melon while the demand has multiplied during the holy month of Ramadan.
"We can only make a profit of Tk 4.0-5.0 a kg as a good portion of the produce is getting wasted," he cites.
Mr Islam says extortion during transportation is also a reason for higher prices of melon.
Although farmers and wholesalers sell melon as 'per piece', retailers trade it by the kilogram.
Golam Mostafa, a Modhubazar fruit vendor who was selling a big-sized melon at Tk 55-60 a kg, said a melon weighing 8.0 kg will cost Tk 480.
He bought 40 fruits of almost the same size at Tk 355 per piece from a trader in Sadarghat on Monday evening.
Mr Mostafa says many consumers want half or one-fourth of a melon. "It's easy to sell it by the kilogram."
Consumers Association of Bangladesh secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan says almost all essential commodities witnessed a notable price hike before and during the Ramadan fast.
Fruit prices shot up by 20-30 per cent from the first day of the holy month amid poor monitoring, he said.
"The price gap of 150-200 per cent between farm level and city retail level has let the price beyond the reach of the limited income people."
Mr Bhuiyan says a syndicate in coastal districts and Dhaka's wholesale outlets like Sadarghat are eating up most of the benefits of bumper melon output.
He suggests that the government set reasonable prices of such fruits both at wholesale and retail levels during summer to benefit both consumers and farmers.
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