Farmers to Grow Melon for Export

Indramayu (Antara Bali)  - Farmers in the coastal areas of Indramayu, West Java, are ready to grow melon in the dry season after rice harvest this year.

Farmers in the regency of Indramayu cultivate their farm lands with melon in dry season  and export the fruits to Japan and South Korea.

"They are now ready with seeds as rain begin to stop. The cultivation has been delayed as rainy days had been exceptionally long this year," Yono, a local farmer said on Wednesday.

Normally farmers cultivated their farm lands with second crops but not they grow melon as more profitable, Yono said.

"Farm lands in Indramayu is suitable for watermelon  and melon  and the area is a potential producer of the food commodities for exports mainly to Japan and Korea," he said.

Melon grown in dry season has good quality for exports, that more farmers chose to grow the crop , he said.

Another local farmer Hasyim  said melon grow well in the farm lands of Indramayu, but farmers have to be learn the change of climate  or they could face harvest failure.

Melon must not be grown during rainy season, Hasyim said, adding the land could be cultivated with rice in rainy season. (*/DWA)