The coronavirus crisis hit Uzbekistan hard, just when it was on an economic upswing, but an abundant melon harvest has brought residents sweet relief in the bitter times of the pandemic. Khorezm, a region in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya river that benefits from temperate winters, grows at least 12 types of melons. According to the ministry of agriculture, an average of 700,000 tonnes of melons are grown annually in Uzbekistan on 35,000 hectares of land.