SUMMER FRUITS ARRIVE EARLY THIS YEAR

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Because of the early hot spell, summer fruits such as melons and watermelons are being shipped out earlier than in previous years, bringing solid profits to farmers. The Rural Development Administration has embarked on developing early maturing fruit varieties to help farmers ship out summer fruits early on.

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Customers are busy picking watermelons at a supermarket.

[Soundbite] "The ones that make a hollow sound taste good."

This year, the fruits were shipped out about two weeks earlier than usual because of the early hot spell. The explosive popularity of the cool and sweet watermelons is evident.

[Soundbite] LEE JUNG-AM(CUSTOMER) : "Even though watermelons were shipped out early, they are sweet and tasty because they were grown in greenhouses. I came to buy one more."

Daytime highs in early May soared to 24-28 degrees Celsius in 2020, five degrees higher than in previous years, and already surpassed 30 degrees in the first week of June. Sales of watermelons at this supermarket surged more than 20 percent on-year last month. Sales of melons are up 15 percent. Prices of the two summer fruits are also 30 percent higher than last year because they were shipped out earlier, bringing impressive profits to farmers. The Rural Development Administration plans to develop early maturing varieties and supply them to farms so they can ship out their produce faster.

[Soundbite] CHA JI-EUN(RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION) : "Farmers can sell their fruit at a higher price and reap more profits when they ship it out earlier."

Authorities have plans to expand support for farmers, including supplying greenhouses with improved ventilation and brix meters to measure sweetness in fruits.