Affected by unusual weather conditions, this year there has been a large drop in the yield of many agricultural products, and watermelons are no exception. The market price has rocketed more than threefold, but this has also attracted the attention of thieves. In Changhua County’s Hemei Township, watermelons are already being harvested. Farmers have one after another erected melon sheds in the melon patches, parked trucks beside their fields or are even sleeping next to their watermelons with iron rods and wooden sticks at the ready: there’s a war on to protect farmers’ melons.
In Shengang Township, Huang Chun-cheng, a grower of a yellow variety of watermelons, says that due to the jump in prices any old watermelon can now be sold for NT$300, while prices can reach as high as NT$500 to NT$600. Huang says this has caused some unscrupulous individuals to hatch crooked schemes. One farmer has parked a truck and ox cart next to his field and sleeps in the truck all through the night, while other watermelon farmers have even erected sheds so they can sleep in their watermelon patches to keep guard, concerned that the fruits of their hard labor will be stolen.
The police have stepped up patrols of watermelon patches and are working in partnership with local residents’ neighborhood watch groups to provide overlapping coverage in the affected areas. The police also warn thieves not to act rashly, saying the police will do whatever it takes to protect the watermelons that farmers have worked so hard to grow.
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者湯世名
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
今年許多農作物受氣候異常影響大幅減產，西瓜也不例外，市價飆漲達三倍之多，卻也因此引起宵小覬覦。彰化縣和美地區西瓜已陸續採收，農民紛紛在自家西瓜田搭瓜棚，或在田邊停放小貨車，備妥鐵棍、木棍，睡在瓜田，啟動「護瓜大作戰」。
在伸港鄉栽種小玉西瓜的農民黃春成指出，由於西瓜價格飆漲，目前隨便一顆西瓜，最少都能賣到三百元，甚至有高達五、六百元之譜，令不肖人士動起歪腦筋。有一位農民把小貨車、牛車停在西瓜田邊，徹夜睡在車上，甚至有瓜農就地搭起棚架，睡在田裡守護，就怕心血遭竊。
警方已派員警加強西瓜田巡邏勤務，配合民力的社區守望相助巡守隊交叉巡防，並呼籲宵小不要輕舉妄動，警方絕對會全力守護農民辛苦栽種的西瓜。
（自由時報記者湯世名）
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