Goidhoo Island Council has revealed that 30 tonnes of watermelon have been produced from the island during the first four days of Ramadan.
Goidhoo has a total of 300 fields allocated for agriculture. These include 40 fields of between 10,000-20,000sqm given for lease and 250 fields for cultivation of other crops or as basic fields. A completely different process has started in the allocation of farmland in Goidhoo. It is the allocation 3000sqm of land to each married couple. These fields are allocated for the cultivation of common basic crops without any rent. As such, these fields have also been cultivated with watermelon for this year’s Ramadan.
President of the Goidhoo Island Council Ibrahim Shahid said that the highest number of watermelons was harvested this year compared to other years. He, however, said that there are many agricultural challenges faced by farmers on the island. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of proper marketing of produce. In addition, he said the crops produced in Goidhoo are usually sent to Kulhudhuffushi. He said selling watermelons at low prices is a major concern of the farmers. As such, watermelon is currently sold at prices between USD0.97-USD1.16.