The watermelon planted on approximately 13,500 decares and the greenhouse melons cultivated on 9,500 decares in the Bafra Plain of Samsun have started to be harvested.
‘Products like sugar’ have taken their place on the shelves.
The season for watermelon, which started at 60,000 liras per dönüm, has now dropped to 35,000 liras per dönüm. With a production cost of 25,000 liras per dönüm, watermelon prices are expected to rise again in the coming days. Watermelon producers have stated that the sunburned watermelons from Adana are being sold cheaply by markets, which has lowered the market price.
Mehmet Bilgiç, a watermelon producer from Karaburç neighborhood, said, “Watermelon started the season well this year. The fields were bought at high prices. But now the market is sluggish, and there are no sales. The sunburned watermelons from Adana have hit the markets. Markets are selling them cheap, which has disrupted the market. Markets buy cheap and sell at 9-10 liras per kilo. This has greatly lowered our market. Currently, prices have dropped to 30-35 thousand liras per dönüm. The cost is already 25,000 liras. We started the season at 50,000 to 60,000 liras per dönüm. They said, ‘Watermelon burned in Adana.’ Afterward, there was a sharp decline. Now, we have started to harvest the black watermelons. The striped watermelons will be ready in a week. We think the market will stabilize around the 15th of this month. Between the 15th and 20th, our market will coincide with Bilecik’s. Adana’s season will end, and we hope to find what we expect. Last year, prices were faster. This year started quickly, but the quality is slightly better than last year. We expect there to be a liveliness.”
Melon producers are satisfied
In Samsun’s Bafra Plain, the harvest of greenhouse melons planted on 9,500 decares has also begun. Many producers who started harvesting the greenhouse melons planted on April 25th are doing the harvest themselves due to labor wages being 1,150 liras per day. The Bilgiç brothers, who say they have no problems with marketing, mentioned that the yield is high due to favorable weather conditions. Producer Yunus Emre Bilgiç said, “Today, we are harvesting our first melons. Bafra melons have now hit the market. Prices are between 8.5-9 liras per kilo. As melons start to come out in the plain, prices have dropped. We expect prices to rise in the coming days.”
Producer Yavuz Selim Bilgiç added, “We are now making the first harvest of our greenhouse melons planted on April 25th. The costs are high but not unmanageable. I think the prices are normal. Labor wages are 1,150 liras per day. Since our family is large, we generally don’t need to hire labor. We do the planting, digging, and such tasks with workers, but we do the harvest ourselves. We handle the watering, care, and marketing ourselves. We don’t have any issues with marketing. We harvest the product upon request, we don’t take it to the market, it has a ready place, and the customer is waiting for us. The yields are very good due to the weather conditions. Last year, we didn’t get much due to the weather conditions. This year’s marketing is better than last year. Last year, prices were worse. We have costs, but they are manageable. Melon is a profitable crop. It cannot be compared to watermelon. You harvest watermelon once, but melon can be harvested 7-8 times. Bafra melon’s quality comes from its flavorful soil. Compared to melons from outside, Bafra melons are more durable and sweeter. We have been in this business for years. If it doesn’t sell or market well, it won’t be produced. No one buys an unpopular product. We sell a popular product. We continue to promote the name of Bafra.