More farmers are turning to other avenues to find profitability, and that includes planting melons.
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Hennadiy Taktarov runs a farm in the Kropyvnytskyi district of Kirovohrad region. In spring 2024, he planted melons for the first time on around a 60-acre field.
This year, in an unusual region of Ukraine for these crops, 13 more farms started growing watermelons and melons for the first time. The planted area in Kirovohrad region increased by around 7,500 acres.
“In the past two years, I grew sunflowers on this field. Having difficulties selling it and because part of Kherson region, where we grow melons, is occupied by russia, I chose to grow watermelons and melons. I also started cultivating tomatoes and onions. Since the farm does not have much land, we are seeking more profitable crops. Last year I set up an irrigation system here myself.”
Hennadiy Taktarov mentions he had already experimented with growing watermelons before 2023. He also adds that these crops require more care. That’s why the farmer spends almost all his time in the field since early in the season. There is no machine harvesting on the farm, watermelons are picked by hand. To do this, he engages local residents for seasonal work.
“We also experimented with the cultivation process, tried different varieties and hybrids. We learned a lot. We spoke to fellow farmers from Kherson region and beyond. Our climate, of course, is not as hot as in the South of Ukraine. There is more sunshine there, and the harvest is much earlier. But still, this year’s weather is exceptionally hot, so the watermelons and melons ripened quite quickly. Usually, melons were harvested here two weeks later.”
This year, the farm planted over 10 varieties of watermelons and tested which varieties yielded the highest. Melons and vegetables were planted with seedlings, grown on the farm’s own greenhouses. The growing process from planting to harvesting takes at least 60 days. Next year, Hennadiy Taktarov expects to continue working with vegetables and melons, keeping in mind this year’s experience.
That report was powered by Latifundist Media, with USAID support provided through Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Activity implemented in Ukraine by Chemonics International. For more information, visit their website or follow them on social media.
