Society

Watermelons sell poorly after recent explosions

By Zhou Wenting (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-26 09:23

BEIJING - Poor watermelon sales are harming farmers after reports came out saying that the use of growth-accelerating chemicals had caused watermelons to burst in Danyang city in East China's Jiangsu province.

A farmer sits next to his watermelons, waiting for customers in a market in Suwei township in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Tuesday. Farmers' sales have been harmed by reports that say the use of growth-accelerating chemicals has caused watermelons to explode. Huang Xiaobang / Xinhua

Farmers in Panzhihua city in Southwest China's Sichuan province and Beijing's Daxing district, which are two places well-known for growing watermelons, have both suffered from poor sales. Some have become desperate enough to set up stalls along expressways in the hope of attracting customers.

Farmers said they had sold 25 kg of watermelons a day in May last year, but only four watermelons a day now, the Beijing News reported.

Du Zhibing, a farmer in Xinmin village in Panzhihua, turned to the media for help. Writing on his micro blog on May 21, he said his watermelons are sweet and tasty and noted that the fruit is the primary source of income for local farmers.

Du also said his watermelons contain no growth accelerators, because farmers where he lives are "too poor to afford even chemical fertilizers".

Because of his micro blog, Du sold out of watermelons on Monday. Other farmers had no choice but to stand by as their watermelons rotted.

Many blamed the poor sales on media reports about watermelons bursting in Jiangsu province.

Media reports said watermelons planted on more than 46.7 hectares had exploded in the province previously this month. Agricultural experts said the freak occurrence resulted from a poorly timed use of a growth accelerator.

"It should be used earlier," said Xu Jinhua, a researcher of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences. "Local farmers applied it when the watermelons were almost mature."

The Ministry of Agriculture issued a notice on its website on May 20, stating that the country has placed strict controls on the use of growth accelerators. If used properly, the chemicals will help fruits grow bigger and faster and increase the size of harvests. But they will cause malformation and cracks in the rinds of fruits if they are applied in the wrong amount or at the wrong time.

Agricultural experts said growth accelerators are widely used in China and other countries.

"If used within the specified limits, they will not harm people's health," Sang Liwei, the China representative of the Global Food Safety Forum, told China Daily.

Experts said a lack of agricultural professionals in rural areas and the outdated standards used to control the application of the chemicals were the underlying causes of the explosions.

According to Beijing News, farmers in Danyang said they learned how to apply growth accelerators to watermelons from a local technician.

Yet, asked what to do and what to avoid in the use of the chemicals, the "technician" was quoted as saying that: "I have never received professional training on agricultural techniques. I only have a primary school diploma."

"Farmers should be professionally trained to use plant growth accelerators so that they can be spared from economic losses and consumers can feel safe about food," Sang said.

The regulations governing the use of the chemicals also should be revised.

The current version of the regulations for the safe use of farm chemicals was issued in 1982, experts say.

"If the provisions are not revised, we cannot expect good oversight," Sang said.