Twenty percent less watermelons are planted in South Békés

Watermelon production area will be smaller with hundreds of hectares in 2012 than in 2011 in South Békés. Farmers will plant an expected 2500 to 2,600 hectares until the end of April, twenty percent less than in 2011 and a similar decline occurs nationally – informed MTI Lipták László, managing director of  Medi-Fruct, and member of the melon alliance.

Lipták László told MTI, that South Békés gives the 60 percent of the Hungarian watermelon yields. The seeds were planted recent days but, due to Tuesday’s frost, one hundred hectares were destroyed, and should be re-planted.

The area of water​​melon decreases similarly nationwide. Planted area in 2012 is expected to be around four thousand hectares, in 2011 it was between 4.8 thousand to 5 thousand hectares. (MTI)