Watermelon Shipments Begin in Southern Japan; Grown in Greenhouse in Kumamoto’s Ueki Area

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, March 15, 2024

Shipments of greenhouse-grown watermelons have begun in Kumamoto’s Ueki district, one of the nation’s leading watermelon-producing areas. In Ueki, farmers grow watermelons almost year-round, with shipments starting in the spring. The watermelons, each weighing about 5 kilograms, are brought into the sorting area of an agricultural cooperative, where workers check for scratches and measure sugar content. The peak of the shipments starts in late April and lasts for about a month.