Thoddoo to produce 600 tonnes of watermelon for Ramadan

For Ramadan, Alif Alif Thoddoo Council estimates the island will produce approximately 600 tonnes of watermelon this year.

Thoddoo Council President Ahmed Karam said that watermelon had been planted in 114 fields for this year's Ramadan, with the first stock to be brought to capital Male' City ahead of the first day of Ramadan.

He said that production had been slowed in some fields due to the rainy season, but assured there will be enough supply to meet the demand in Ramadan. Thoddoo boasts 2.4 million sqft of agricultural fields.

At present, watermelon is priced at MVR 25 per kilo in the market. However, this is the price for watermelons imported from nearby India. Some vendors believe that the price of local watermelons could rise to MVR 30 per kilo, citing the price of locally produced watermelon to be regularly higher than that of imports due to low availability.

Watermelon is the most popular produce amongst Maldivians during Ramadan each year.