Kudumbashree’s women farm groups across the State have begun to harvest watermelons cultivated on 758 acres of land as part of the ‘Venal Madhuram’ this year.

The farm groups, called joint liability groups (JLGs), have registered a turnover of ₹6.78 crore so far, nearly double the turnover of ₹3.8 crore last year. This is the third year that watermelons are being grown as part of seasonal cultivation in the December to May cycle by the JLGs. In all, 4,272 Kudumbashree members in 1,024 JLGs across 501 community development societies (CDS), which is the topmost tier of the Kudumbashree’s three-tier network, in 14 districts are growing watermelons.

The watermelons are available in red, yellow, and seedless categories. The cultivated varieties include Kiran, Maharaja, Sugar Baby, Apoorva, Sugar Queen, Jubilee King, Yellow Manja, and Orange Delight.

A maximum of ₹25,000 is made available to JLGs, capable of cultivating the watermelons on at least one acre, as revolving fund through the CDSsfor preparing the field and purchase of planting material.

The crop is ready for harvest in 56-65 days. Harvest of the watermelon crop is under way in a majority of the districts. In Malappuram district, which has the maximum area under cultivation at 116.97 acres, the production so far is more than 5.5 lakh kg, recording a turnover of nearly ₹1 crore. In Thrissur, where 62.2 acres is being farmed, the turnover has been ₹.80.2 lakh, and in Kottayam where 56.01 acres is under watermelon cultivation, the turnover has been nearly ₹50 lakh.

Due to the very high temperatures this summer, there has been a significant increase in the demand for watermelons, says S. Shanavas, State programme officer, Kudumbashree’s Farm Livelihood vertical. Consumers bought the fruit directly from farms or from the Kudumbashree’s Nattuchanthas and other markets owing to Kudumbashree’s reputation for making available quality and pesticide-free produce. The farmers too are getting a good price for the produce – ₹24 a kg against those in the market that fetch ₹20 a kg, he points out.

Mr. Shanavas said that as the farm groups follow the guidelines provided by the Kudumbashree for cultivating the watermelons, consumers can be assured of farm fresh produce, without any additives such as colours being injected into it or use of too much fertilizer.

The Kudumbashree not only aims at increasing local production of watermelons but also enhancing the income of JLG members and attarcting more neighbourhood groups to farming.