The “2024 Local Organic Watermelon Festival” organized by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will be held at Tsing Yi City for four consecutive days starting this Friday (June 21st). The event will feature local organic watermelons and other high-quality agricultural products. The department will also showcase four special watermelon varieties, including “Royal Jade,” “Super Sweet Black Beauty 168,” “Diana,” and seedless “Seedless 3F-2728.”
The department held a visitation event yesterday morning, during which the Director of Agriculture (Horticulture) Wong Man-wai introduced the media to the festival. Wong Man-wai mentioned that the watermelon festival has been running for over 15 years, aiming to provide a platform for farmers to communicate with the public. The four watermelon varieties introduced this time include “Royal Jade,” which has a green skin, yellow flesh, and is sweet, crisp, and juicy, the slightly sweeter “Super Sweet Black Beauty 168” with green skin and dark stripes, the Taiwanese variety “Diana” with yellow skin and red flesh, and the seedless “Seedless 3F-2728.”
Wong Man-wai noted that citizens prefer seedless watermelons, but cultivating seedless watermelons is challenging. It requires planting a row of seeded watermelons for pollination and more effort in cultivation, making it less common among growers.
Facing the frequent adverse weather conditions in recent years, local organic farmer Leung Tai expressed the difficulties in watermelon cultivation, such as pest control, rain prevention, and setting up shelters. Last year, excessive rain resulted in “almost no harvest” from outdoor planting, prompting them to invest heavily this year in constructing shelters to improve water drainage. They have now harvested over 100 watermelons, indicating a good yield.
Leung Tai mentioned that their farm has planted 6 varieties totaling 240 watermelons this year, including “Royal Jade,” “Golden Orchid,” and “Phoenix Orchid.” During the festival, they will pick fresh watermelons daily and sell them on-site, promoting the concept of “harvested and eaten fresh.” They hope for a successful festival turnout as a reward for their hard work and consider planting more watermelons if the market demand is high.
Wong Man-wai mentioned that if citizens miss the watermelon festival, they can still purchase local organic agricultural products at various farmers’ markets in June and July. Locally grown watermelons are suitable for families of 2 to 3 people and are priced at around HK$40 to HK$50 per pound, making them affordable. Consumers can also buy directly from local farmers through the Vegetable Marketing Organization’s website or mobile app “Local Fish and Vegetable Direct Delivery” and connect with them through the “Hong Kong Organic Resource Center” website.