People of many States in the country will miss out the water and musk melons of Chhattisgarh from next year as the summer season delights could no longer be grown by about 300 farmers in eight villages of Aarang Development Block in the State.
ReasonIJ The Samoda dam which is under construction at the Aarang Development Block is likely to be completed next year which would bring an end to cultivation of water and musk melons on the banks of Mahanadi river.
The farmers of Gullu, Gudguda, Benidih and Chapreed who had been cultivating the water and musk melons on the banks of Mahanadi river for many years would not be able to carry out any cultivation of the fruits after the completion of the construction work at the dam. The worst affected are likely to be the small farmers.
According to Gullu village Sarpanch Bharatlal Sahu, there are about 300 farmers involved in the cultivation of water and musk melons at Gullu, Gudguda, Benidih, Ratakat, Navapara, Samoda, Chapreed and Badgaon coming under Aarang Development Block who would not be able to cultivate the fruits from next year.
A farmer from Gullu village who came to sell the water and musk melons in the city informed that the musk melon is grown on the banks of Mahanadi river during the months of November-December and the crop is ready by March-April.
He said that the musk melon crop output and its sale helps the farmers to subsist for five months. ‘However, the farmer said that with the Samoda dam getting ready their livelihood would be taken away.
Another farmer who had been cultivating the fruits on 1.25 acres of land while making an investment in the range of Rs8,000 to Rs10,000 also said that their livelihood would be taken away with the completion of the dam. He said that the watermelon from Chhattisgarh's melons find good market at cities like Agra, Jhansi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Jabalpur, but hampering the production will mar the market next year, he added.
The smaller musk melon cultivators such as Mahendra Sonwani, Kamal Narayan and Shiv Kumar are of the opinion that they as small farmers were raising loans to cultivate the fruit but they would have to look for some other occupation.
A wholesale fruits merchant Seevanlal said that the market for musk melon is for one-and-half to two months.
The arrival of musk melon right now in the market is about 70,000 daily but once the Samoda dam gets ready, it would have a direct impact on the market.