Russia: A shortage of watermelons is not expected in the Astrakhan region due to the dry and hot summer

The watermelon harvest in the Astrakhan region will not decline this year, despite the hot and dry summer. The harvest of melons is expected to be around 300 thousand tons, Governor of the Astrakhan Region Igor Babushkin told TASS. Earlier, some media outlets, citing farmers, reported that in the Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, the melon harvest would be reduced by up to 30%, and therefore prices would increase significantly. “Astrakhan watermelons have already arrived, ahead of schedule, precisely due to climatic conditions, because this year the heat came quite early and actively. There is a certain threat that this fruit will “burn” (by the sun), but at the same time our farmers are not worried the current state of affairs, since almost all of our fields are provided with an irrigation system, all irrigation systems are working stably,” Babushkin said. According to him, this year almost 8 thousand hectares are occupied by melons in the region. Astrakhan farmers plan to ...