Karimnagar: Lockdown, fear of corona dash hopes of watermelon merchants

Karimnagar: The hopes of watermelon merchants of Karimnagar district of doing good business in this summer were dashed to ground as people are afraid of eating the fruit fearing of catching cold. This fruit business was lost for a few reasons. Almost all the people were restricted themselves to indoors due to the lockdown imposed because of Covid-19. Even if those, who venture out, were afraid of eating the fruit as they were afraid of catching cold, which is a symptom of coronavirus.

Transportation of everything came to a grinding halt during the lockdown. But after the government gave some relaxation a few days ago, watermelons loads arrived at the district. Besides, due to lockdown norms, street vendors are not daring to set up shops on the roadside to buy the fruits.

Speaking to The Hans India, watermelon vendor Deepak said sales started declining from March third week. Normally the rate of a medium size fruit ranges from Rs 70 to Rs 80 in March and now the rate dropped to Rs 30 to Rs 40. Only a few people are purchasing watermelons, while most of them are preferring to buy either sweet lime or oranges or grapes.

In the beginning of the summer season, the price of one tonne watermelon was Rs 18,000 to Rs 20,000, but with the corona affect the rates fallen drastically to Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per tonne, he added.

Dr Srinivas Reddy condemned the public belief that eating watermelon will cause cold. In fact, watermelon, which has vitamin D, potassium and large amounts of electrolytes, will protest people from sunstroke. Apart from that it also contains 92 per cent of alkaline and fibre with water, which gives lot of energy to the body, he added.

Moreover, Beta-carotene which is present in watermelons increases immunity in the body, which is most essential in the present situation where coronavirus is attacking the less immune people. It also gives much relief to kidney, sugar and asthma patients and helps to strengthen heart muscles with lycophene present in it, Dr Srinivas Reddy added.