KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan traders performed a group dance before enjoying one full watermelon each. Doctors and shopkeepers dedicated entire meals to just bread and sliced watermelon. A young economics student devoured eight large watermelons to win a contest.

And the country’s president issued an order: Buy watermelons for the soldiers.

The efforts were all part of a campaign across Afghanistan to support suffering farmers after an exceptionally abundant watermelon harvest created a catastrophic drop in prices during already trying times.

The intensely flavorful fruit of Afghanistan — including pomegranates and figs, grapes and melons — has been a point of national pride for centuries. But the raging war often blocks roads to markets at critical times. And the country’s bitter political wrangling has at times complicated economic planning, turning bountiful harvests into heartbreak for farmers.

The western province of Farah, one of the main producers of watermelon, has been hit worst by the lack of a market for the fruit. This year’s harvest far exceeded expectations, doubling to two million tons of watermelon, according Zalmay Mohammadi, the deputy leader of a farmer’s association there. The price for a ton reached as low as $11 this month.