Hopcoms opens up watermelon, grape fair at Lalbagh

The annual watermelon and grapes mela, organised by the Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (Hopcoms), was inaugurated at Lalbagh on Thursday.

The fair was cut short in March last year due to the pandemic. However, this year, the horticulture department hopes it will go on till the end of the grape season.

The two fruits will be sold at a 10% discount at the main stall of Hopcoms in Lalbagh and at 22 other stalls in the city. Five varieties of watermelon and 13 varieties of grapes will be sold at the fair.

Hopcoms aims to sell 1,500 tonnes of watermelon and 500 tonnes of grapes. “On day one, 621 tonnes of watermelon and 36 tonnes of grapes were sold. Hopcoms is hopeful of meeting their target successfully before the mela ends,” a source at the horticulture department said.

In view of the Covid situation, the mela has been organised in regular Hopcoms stalls with not much glut, Fouzia Taranum, director, horticulture department, told DH.

Fouzia added that the horticulture department is also planning to organise mango and grapes fairs across the state this year.