The term watermelon mostly brings images of red flesh and green rind to most people. But now that image has undergone a colour change. Watermelons, with bright yellow flesh, are the pick of this summer. And it is not just the different colour, the yellow-flesh watermelon also tastes better.
Though not native to Kerala, the yellow watermelons are locally being cultivated in the state and sold at the markets. Farmer Ameer Babu has been cultivating yellow watermelons for four years at Karinjappadi in Malappuram.
But it is slightly more expensive to start the cultivation of yellow watermelon. About Rs 8,000 needs to be paid for just 100gm of the seeds. Large-scale cultivation is carried out by buying seeds for up to Rs 1.5 lakh. Other expenses include plastic wrap and drip irrigation. One watermelon can weigh up to 8kg and currently, the farmer gets up to Rs 40 per kilogram.
But in case of heavy summer showers, the watermelons could get damaged and the farmer might incur losses. Farmers are hopeful that the watermelon would find more takers next month due to festivals, including Vishu. Harvesting has already begun. However, farmers also said that if subsidised seeds are provided, the cultivation can be carried out on a bigger scale.