Watermelon prices fall 30% after poisoning death reports:Wholesale rates dropped to ₹7 per kg; customers avoiding purchases across MP

Fear among people after reports of deaths linked to watermelon consumption in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh has badly affected watermelon sales across the state. Watermelon, one of the most popular fruits during the summer season, is now seeing fewer buyers in many cities. The sudden fall in demand has caused heavy losses to farmers, traders and roadside vendors selling the fruit. In several cities of Madhya Pradesh, including Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior and Jabalpur, watermelon prices have dropped by 20% to 30%. At the beginning of the season, watermelon was being sold at ₹18 to ₹20 per kg in retail markets. However, prices have now fallen to around ₹12 to ₹13 per kg in many places. In wholesale markets, the rates have dropped further to ₹7 to ₹8 per kg. First, know where this fear began In Mumbai’s Pydhonie area, four members of the same family died on the night of April 25-26. It was reported that the family first ate biryani and then watermelon. A few hours later, everyone’s health deteriorated. The Forensic Science Laboratory report revealed the presence of a dangerous chemical called ‘Zinc Phosphide’ in the watermelon. This chemical is commonly used in rat poison. Following this, a similar case emerged in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh. On May 15, transport businessman Indra Singh Parihar and his son Vinod ate watermelon after dinner. A short while later, both of their health deteriorated. Indra Singh was declared dead at the hospital, while his son died nine days later. The health department has sent watermelon samples for testing and is awaiting the report. Now, one fears before buying Armaan Ali, who is studying B.Tech in Bhopal, also says that after the news came out, he has almost stopped buying watermelons. Even if he buys them, he does so with great caution. Similarly, we met some other people who were buying other fruits instead of watermelons. Goods are in the markets, but customers are missing 15 to 20 mini trucks of watermelon arrive daily at Karond Fruit Market in Bhopal. Wholesale trader Mohammad Saifuddin says that sales have been significantly affected in the last 15-20 days.
He stated, ‘Earlier, a truck carrying 25-30 quintals of watermelon would be empty by morning, but now it barely sells even by afternoon. Prices have to be reduced out of compulsion. If these reports hadn’t come out, sales would have doubled in this heat, and prices would have reached Rs 25-30 per kg.’ The situation is no different in Indore. According to farming influencer Nilesh Patidar, viral news on social media has affected the entire market. He says that good quality watermelons would normally fetch prices up to Rs 17-18 per kg, but currently, they are not able to go above Rs 10-12. Small vendors hit the hardest The difficulties of small fruit vendors on the footpath have increased further. Raju, who sets up a stall in Ashoka Garden, Bhopal, says that watermelon is his biggest source of income during the summer season, but this time sales have been halved. Raju says, ‘After the videos and news went viral, people are afraid to buy. Even customers who come ask if anything has been mixed in it.’ Farmers’ hard work is going to waste Ajay Singh Gurjar, a farmer from Khandwa district, said that this time due to good weather, production was excellent and farmers were hoping for good earnings. But suddenly, due to a drop in demand, the situation worsened. He said, ‘Prices in the market fell so low that it became difficult to recover costs. Many traders did not even come to pick up the produce from the fields. In many places, prices dropped to 5-6 rupees per kg. Out of compulsion, the crop rotted in the fields.’ Food Safety Department Alert After the cases came to light, the Food Safety Department launched an investigation campaign in several cities including Bhopal and Jabalpur. Sampling has been done in many places as a precautionary measure. According to Bhopal’s Food Safety Officer Pankaj Srivastava, samples of several fruits including watermelon and mango have been sent for testing from shops and warehouses. Suspicious chemicals being used to artificially ripen fruits have also been seized from some places. How to test watermelon at home According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), artificial color or adulteration in watermelon can also be identified at home.