Farmers' hearts sink over dumped 8,000 tons of melons

Farmers dump excess oriental melons in a pit in Walhang-myeon, Seongju, in North Gyeongsang Province, on July 9. / Courtesy of Peace News (Farmer Lee Guk-min)

By Ko Dong-hwan

Farmers faced heartbreaking scenes in Seongju this week, where the U.S. missile defense system awaits full deployment amid North Korea’s military provocations.

The bitterness of having to dump over 8,000 tons of oriental melons overshadowed the controversy surrounding the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.

The city in North Gyeongsang Province dug a large hole to take more than 500 truckloads of melons from farmers who queued for up to three hours to dump them. The low-grade melons were excess production following this year’s prolonged hot summer and delayed monsoon.

The dumping in Walhang-myeon village began on July 9. The city paid 2 billion won ($1.75 million) to buy 11,000 tons of the melons at 150 won a kilogram to prevent the excess cutting market prices for farmers. The city produces 70 percent of the nation’s oriental melons. The dumped fruit will be recycled as fertilizer.

But Lee Guk-min, 46, an oriental melon farmer with six years’ experience, feels the city has betrayed him. It had said the melons would be sold to local military camps or exported.

“The city promised all the glitter with our melons but they ended up dumping them,” said Lee, who on Sunday dumped 1.4 tons of melons and received 270,000 won. “The promises were just show. They must come up with more practical methods to control and distribute the excess produce.”

Another farmer surnamed Lee, who started melon farming this year, dumped 900 kilograms of the fruit and was paid about 100,000 won.

“I wish the city could reproduce the melons somehow so they don’t get dumped,” Lee said.

Oriental melon prices have dropped from 20,000 won a 10-kilogram box to 5,000 won this year. The city’s farmers reduced packaging costs and wages to offset the loss but had to go with the city’s emergency plan to minimize financial damage.

The city said Monday it will sell 500 tons of oriental melons to military camps, starting August.

“The bid will raise the city’s image and boost oriental melon markets nationwide,” the city said.