The arrival of watermelons at the wholesale markets of Batasingaram and Jambagh has brought cheer to many who have been eagerly waiting for the juicy and refreshing summer fruit
On Monday, 50-80 trucks of watermelons arrived at the Batasingaram fruit market from Mahabubnagar, Zaheerabad, Jogulamba Gadwal and a few districts of neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka
The arrival of the summer fruit is expected toincrease further in the days to come
At the wholesale market, a kilogram of watermelon is sold for Rs 5-8 and in retail, it goes for Rs 15
Apart from watermelon, musk melon is also reaching the markets from the districts of Telangana
On average, around 40 trucks of muskmelons are arriving at the market every day
Shaik Siraj, a local vendor at Afzalgunj, says he keeps a margin of Rs 10-12 per kg to cover transportation costs, damages and profits
"Quite often, fruits get damaged during transportation and we have to cover up for such losses. Moreover, we also have to pay helpers at our fruit shops, which has to be taken into account while setting the retail prices,” he says