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Dignitaries during the watermelon festival at Bishnupur district, Manipur.[/caption]
Sunusiphai (Manipur), May 28 (EMN): The first ever four days Gram Panchayat level watermelon festival was concluded with a grand sale of seasonal fruit which is locally known as Eeru Etham here at Tiddim road in Bishnupur district Manipur.
Villagers mostly women folks were busy selling their watermelon till their last stock at their respective stalls.
The stalls numbering around 57 on the road side of popular Tiddim road were put up since May 24 for sales.
“We organise the festival at our panchayat level in order to avoid middle men’s commission so that we can sell our products at their locality,” said Farmers Club Sunusiphai (FCS) President Laishram Shyamkumar.
He further added “We got a better margin profit this time.” Villagers who used to sell watermelon at Rs 20 per kilogram at market managed to sell at Rs 25 a kilogram at their village during the festival site at the village which produces 200-300 metric tonnes out of its 30 hectare cultivation area.
The local MLA, P Sarat who is also the economic advisor to Manipur Chief Minister was the chief guest of the day’s closing function along with an international Wushu champion besides noted district child activist and other functionaries of FCS shared the dais.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, Sarat has promised to develop Thmabalhoubi kom, the village’s popular water source or pukhuri in the interest of the farmers’ community so that the village can have proper irrigation facilities round the year for their cultivation activities.
It is worth mentioning that earlier the state used to consumes a large number of watermelons from neighbouring state like Myanmar and Assam however slowly with the emergence of new trends known as ‘watermelon farming’ in the state, the people had started to produce their own products for local consumption in the state.
It may be noted that in order to promote local farmers and watermelon cultivation as an important cash crop in the state, a private firm Nahakpam Foundation for Development (NFD) has been organising state level watermelon festival since 2012.
