With the enormously growing of watermelon in Gangaw Township in the Magway region, the watermelon started yielding. They are sold back within the region and in the border area.
The watermelons are sold mostly in the Myanmar-India border checkpoint market and Kalay, Mawlaik townships in the upper Chindwin region. The local growers are making a good profit from watermelon cultivation because of high demand.
The residents from Hsar, Yaw and Laung Chay regions in the Gangaw district commonly cultivate season fruits such as watermelon, muskmelon, potato, tomato and cabbage. The cultivation of seasonal fruits is successful and sent to Haka township in Chin State and Tamu township in Myanmar-India border, Kalay and Mawlaik townships in the upper Chindwin region.
The watermelons are selling well these days in some places such as Kalay, Chin mountain and the upper Chindwin region. So, the locals are having watermelon as season fruit at pagoda and school ceremony. Also, the elders and children from those regions are eating the watermelon as snacks.
The watermelons are cultivated beside the Mandalay-Gangaw-Kalay highway in Shwebo, Taungkinyan, Myautkhin Yan villages in Gangaw Township. Watermelons are priced at K700-K1,000 per piece, depending upon the size. However, the watermelon fetched around K1,200 for a small-size one and K2,500 for a big one in Kalay, Tamu, Mawlaik markets in the Myanmar-India border market. —Panthitsa (Kalay)/GNLM
