In 2024, 19.5 thousand tons of melon crops were harvested in the Mykolaiv region, which is 20% more than last year. This was announced by the director of the department of the agro-industrial complex of the Mykolayiv regional military administration Olena Piskun. Among the harvested crop, the largest part is watermelons, which amount to 14.7 thousand tons.

Agrarians of the Mykolayiv region planted melon crops on an area of ​​2,241 hectares. This is 20% more than in 2023, where watermelons occupy 1,550 hectares and melons 691 hectares, which is 8% more than last year. These data indicate positive trends in the region's agriculture.

Most of the melon crops, about 80%, are grown in households, the rest — in agricultural enterprises. Olena Piskun noted that in recent years the share of melon crops in agricultural enterprises has increased significantly, and the products grown in the Mykolaiv region are sold on the domestic market.

One of the leading enterprises in this field is the PAEK group of companies, which is one of the largest producers of vegetable products in the region. Thanks to innovative approaches, Mykolaiv Oblast became one of the first in Ukraine to enter the market with ultra-early watermelons.

The head of the company, Yuriy Kormyshkin, spoke about the successes in growing various varieties of watermelons. "We started the implementation of melon crops back in June, and it continues until now, thanks to the use of many varieties with different ripening periods in the crop structure," he added.

The summer heat affected the productivity, especially of melons, but the farmer emphasized that he was satisfied with the quality of the products. "Although our southern sun is harsh this year, thanks to the large amount of light in the spring, we managed to grow early, sweet, and most importantly, healthy watermelons and melons," summarized Yuriy Kormyshkin.