In the height of summer - are there Bulgarian watermelons on the market and at what price? According to local producers, wholesalers offer 40-50 stotinki per kilogram of watermelon. The price doubles to the customer and reaches over one leva per kilogram, bTV reported.
In Yambol this year they are enjoying a good harvest. In the land of the village of Zimnitsa are some of the largest watermelon producers in the region - the Petrov family.
He is a kavaldzija, graduated from the school in Kotel and is now a music teacher. His love for the land turns out to be stronger than his talent, which is why he is also studying agronomy. Thus, musician Ivan Petrov became a farmer and followed in his parents' footsteps.
„All this must be stretched, it must be nice, if it is dotted, it means that the watermelon is pink. The leaf must have dried up. And here it must start to turn yellow, this variety is like that“, says Ivan.
There is an easier way to recognize a ripe watermelon, but you need good hearing, explains Petrov Sr.“That's how it should ring, ring, when it is ripe. When it is overripe, a dull sound is heard“, points out farmer Georgi Petrov.
The Petrov family has been growing fruits and vegetables for more than 20 years. They say that they are in the field from 5 a.m. until after midnight, but sometimes they have difficulty covering their expenses. They sell their watermelons only in bulk, but the dealers twist their hands with low prices - from 40 to 50 cents per kilogram. They are forced to sell because the watermelons are not durable.
„When the merchant comes and buys the watermelon for 40 cents, we go to the market and see that it is 1.20-1.50 leva. When we sell it, we give it away for next to nothing, and they sell it for triple the price“, explains Maria Petrova.
„Our expenses are very high, when the income is not over 60 cents - we work only for pleasure“, adds Ivan Petrov.
Large watermelons are usually tastier, but the small ones are sought after. “The large watermelon is sold at sea, there they are more in demand, but here, in our region, people do not have the opportunity to buy it because of the high price“, says Ivan Petrov.
We go to the market in Yambol to see the price of watermelons. From 40 stotinki in the field, at the traders it is now 80 stotinki and even a leva per kilogram.
“The watermelons are a Bulgarian variety. Their prices have fallen, yes. 80 stotinki is a kilogram“, says Dinka Nikolova, a trader.
“I hope they will fall. Around 90 stotinki, lev, lev and 10 stotinki, they are somewhere there. We bought from different places, we are looking at a lower price“, says Maria. Despite the difficulties, the demand for Bulgarian watermelon is high, and the Petrovs are enjoying a good harvest. In a good year, producers expect up to 4 tons of watermelons per hectare.