Farm-Level Economic Assessment of Watermelon Production in Nangarhar Province

Watermelon is a significant cash crop that provides a good source of income and contributes to employment generation in Nangarhar province. This research aims to analyze the socio-economic characteristics and cost and return of watermelon. This study was carried out in Nangarhar province. The research is quantitative in nature, utilizing both primary and secondary data A purposive sampling design was used to select a sample of 130 respondents for the survey. Primary data were collected through a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and cost and return analysis were used for data analysis. The results revealed that the average age of the selected farms was 39 years, and the percentage of respondents was educated, which fortunately included a percentage of bachelor's degree holders. The majority of the respondents, 59.76 percent, are living in households. At the same time, 42.62 percent of the farmers had between 5 and 10 years of watermelon production experience, with an average of 7 years. Furthermore, approximately 78 percent of respondents have annual incomes exceeding $100,000. The cost and return analysis showed that the average per jerib cost for large-scale farmers (17,274 AF) is lower than that for medium-scale farmers (18,057 AF) and small-scale farmers (19,307 AF). Moreover, fertilizer costs constitute the highest proportion of total production costs across all categories. Based on per-jerib costs, the expenses associated with the Black Master variety amount to 22,505 AF, which is approximately 6,000 AF higher than the Extreme F1 variety. The average per-jerib yield in Nangarhar province is 855 man (7 Kg), generating a gross income of 40,117 AF and a net income of 21,904 AF. The study recommended the extreme F1 variety as it is more profitable in the study area.