Watermelon business booming in Dhalkebar amid increasing heat

By Bijay Kumar Sah

Dhalkebar, Apr. 13: With the onset of the summer season, business of watermelon in Dhalkebar, located along the East-West Highway in Dhanusha district, has been thriving significantly.

Considered a highly profitable seasonal fruit, watermelon has seen a surge in demand, boosting local business activities.

Dhalkebar, which serves as a gateway to Janakpurdham, the capital of Madhes Province, has witnessed a notable rise in the number of watermelon vendors. 

Local traders have set up more than two dozen temporary stalls to sell the fruit. These stalls attract a large number of customers daily, including passengers traveling along the highway as well as local consumers.

According to them, daily watermelon transactions in Dhalkebar now exceed Rs. 1 million. 

They said that the high demand for watermelon, a popular fruit that provides cool feeling in the summer, has boosted business.

Trader Ghuran Das said that most of the watermelons sold in Dhalkebar are imported from various cities in India. 

He said that they have been imported watermelon from places such as Odisha, Kolkata, and Siliguri in India. 

He explained that as locally produced watermelons only reach the market by the end of April, imports are necessary to meet current demand.

Currently, watermelons are being sold at Rs. 50 to 60 per kilogram, while sliced portions are priced between Rs. 20 and 25.

Another local trader, Baidyanath Chaudhary, shared that transportation costs alone can range from Rs. 400,000 to 500,000 when importing from India. This has made imported watermelons slightly more expensive than locally grown ones, he said.

Although watermelon farming is practiced in villages along the Kamala River in Dhanusha, delayed production often makes it difficult to meet market demand on time. 

Traders said that importing watermelons is necessary to meet the current demand due to the lack of locally grown produce.

Ram Kumar Mahato, who has been involved in seasonal watermelon trading for over a decade, said that Dhalkebar is gradually developing into a major wholesale hub for watermelon. 

Traders and retailers from cities such as Janakpur, Birgunj, Kathmandu, and Pokhara frequently visit Dhalkebar to purchase and supply them in these cities.