The price of watermelons has dropped to over 10 cents per pound.

Henan is the province with the largest watermelon planting area in the country, maintaining the top spot for several consecutive years, with over half of the crop being grown outdoors. According to data from the Henan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, this year, the watermelon planting area in Henan has reached 3.7 million acres, with an expected output of 14 million tons. However, amid the harvest, news of low prices and unsold watermelons from Henan has gone viral; influencers, celebrities, and businesses have flocked to the production areas to help farmers transport the watermelons piled up by the roadside. Ma Yong, who has been a watermelon broker in Henan for 12 years, is also encountering this situation for the first time: the price of watermelons has dropped from last year's 50-60 cents to 20-30 cents, even as low as over 10 cents per pound. A combination of factors, including expanded planting, quality issues due to climate, and a simultaneous harvest across multiple regions, has led to the steep decline in watermelon prices. Having spent many years traveling between production areas and markets and observing the production models of various watermelon-growing regions, Ma Yong increasingly feels that while assisting farmers can address immediate needs, to sell watermelons sustainably in the long run, the focus must be on improving quality in both planting and sales channels. Growing good watermelons is not easy. Some people understand this, while others do not. We have to inspect the watermelons ourselves, and only those that reach at least 80% ripeness are loaded onto the truck; anything below that is rejected. Some farmers can discard three to five watermelons from a thousand pounds, while others may discard one to two hundred pounds from a truckload. Factors such as planting density, the chosen seedlings, and intercropping with other crops all influence quality, and the skill levels among farmers vary widely.