How to grow watermelons in Dagestan

In the morning, on the melon in the village of Oguzer, Kizlyar district of Dagestan, work is in full swing. Dozens of tanned hands on a chain pass watermelons, loading another truck. Tons of emerald minke whales leave from here to Moscow daily. Part of the crop made in Dagestan remains in the capital, part goes further to other regions. The early varieties have already departed, now the collection of watermelons of the domestic variety "chill" has begun.

The watermelon received the Russian name from the Turkic word "karpuz", which in turn was borrowed from the Persian language. Translated means “melon”, and the literal meaning is “huge cucumber” or “donkey the size of a cucumber”.

Many imagine melon as an endless field with huge green balls heated by the sun. In fact, everything looks different. Watermelons of different sizes ripen on melon: some can be taken with two fingers, others and with two hands can not be torn off the ground. Round and oblong, light and dark. Somewhere you can see yellow.

- This year was rainy, some watermelons could not stand the excess moisture and simply rotted, - explain the melons.
In general, the climate in Dagestan is favorable, there are many sunny days, which is why the earliest varieties of watermelons are grown here in all of Russia. Khabib Khizriyev expertly pats each berry before separating it from the bush. It rings - you need to take it. Near "Kamaz" the green mountain already rises. For almost ten years, Khabib has been working in the Sirius agricultural company, one of the largest agricultural enterprises in the republic, and can easily determine whether the watermelon was fed chemistry. As a good example, he chooses a bursting watermelon from the garden.

- You see, if you cut it, then there are no white veins, all the flesh is bright pink. So it should be in a ripe berry. And if there are white blotches inside, it means that saltpeter was not complete.

The watermelon expert also explains how watermelon "boys" differ from watermelon "girls." For representatives of the stronger sex, the side opposite the tail is more convex and embossed and ends with a semblance of a point, while for “girls” this place is wider and resembles a circle. Rumor has it that “girls” are sweeter and have fewer bones. True or not, Habib does not say. In his opinion, the main thing when choosing is not gender. The main thing is to carefully examine the surface of the watermelon. It should be smooth, elastic, without cracks, dents and other flaws.

Watermelons in Sirius occupy an area of 60 hectares. And although it is too early to calculate profits, because melons will be collected almost until the first frosts, the head of the agricultural company Abdulla Hasanov does not hide his contented smile when answering the question of profitability. And the plans to plant watermelons next year already on 100 hectares speak for themselves.

- Now there are generally no problems with sales markets. Things went smoothly when the country imposed sanctions on imported products. We ship at least 20 tons daily to Moscow - this is our main customer. There are 40 tons and 60. We sell our products at 8-10 rubles per kilogram. And how much a watermelon costs to the end consumer in Moscow and other regions, I have no idea, ”says the head of Sirius, Abdulla Hasanov.

Abdullah has been engaged in agriculture for about 20 years. It all started with rice, then began to grow tomatoes, potatoes, melons. Now the territory of the agricultural company occupies five thousand hectares, about 50 people are constantly working here, and another hundred and fifty seasonal workers are involved in harvesting. The plans - growing arugula. Labor is painstaking, but the businessman does not complain. He used to rely on his strength in everything.

- Support from the state? What kind of support could there be? Sometimes they give some kind of subsidy for the purchase of elite seeds. I also take loans from the Agricultural Bank, despite a rather large percentage of 19%. There are no alternatives yet. I have leased the land for 49 years. Periodically, there are various checks: tax, Rospotrebnadzor. But I can’t complain, they don’t torment us. In recent years, inspections have generally been carried out less frequently, but in a comprehensive manner: every three years they check everything from and to.

Hasanov Agricultural Company grows melons. But they are capricious, it is more difficult to transport them, and they are much more expensive. Watermelons are more profitable: they are stored longer and are not afraid of transportation. Three varieties of watermelons grow on the Sirius melon: Topgan, Karistan, and Chill. The first two are hybrid varieties bred in Europe. “Karistan” is a little elongated, like a rugby ball. "Topgan" round. But they taste about the same. The price of seeds of these varieties reaches five rubles apiece. But they are worth it - almost everyone gives a rich harvest, from three to six watermelons from the "bush". About 50-60 tons of berries are harvested per hectare.

- We buy seeds in specialized stores in Russia, but the seeds are imported. Why? Because the same Dutch and other Europeans greatly advanced in breeding, ”explains the agronomist Dzhambulat Suleymanov. Planting material has to be bought every year. Those watermelons that grew in the fields can no longer give full-fledged offspring. And to conduct selection and select the best seeds for planting is expensive, and there is no one - there are no such specialists in the republic.

“It only seems at first glance that there is nothing complicated in growing watermelons,” the agronomist smiles. - In fact, everything is not easy. Plant in the spring directly into the ground. We cover the early grades with a film until the air warms up. You have to water often, sometimes almost every day - it depends on the weather. We use a drip irrigation system. Each bush has hoses recessed in the ground. Such irrigation allows us to optimize the flow of water that we pump with pumps from the irrigation canal. Periodically, you need to weed the beds, mainly by hand, and also process them from pests.

Do not be surprised that without the use of chemicals, the level of agriculture would be completely different today. But this does not mean that we artificially accelerate the ripening of our watermelons, no. And we are not talking about any injections. But in order to get a crop, it is necessary to carry out processing from pests. About a hundred days after planting, the watermelon matures and is ready to eat.

Growing a crop is half the battle. To save him from crow flocks and two-legged freebie lovers, melons have to live all season on the field in small gatehouses.

- Are you going to grow square watermelons? - I ask goodbye.

- There will be a demand - we will also master this technology.