"The watermelon campaign started on 20th April and lasted until May for the early varieties, then peaked between late May and June."
"The most popular melon varieties are the LSL ones like Red Falcon, Fiola and Rotary, whereas Sienne and Bosito are the favoured Chantarais varieties. As regards watermelons, demand is increasing for the mini ones."
As the director explained, three years ago, mini-watermelons represented 30% of the total, then demand increased and now they represent 70%. The reason is that they are much more "handy" and cheaper, which are essential qualities at times like these.
"The most popular mini-watermelon varieties are Mini Red and Nikas, which maintain an exceptional taste thanks to the fact that they are graft-free. These cultivars are characterised by a high sugar content (over 13° Brix), a weight between 1.5 and 3 kg, a thinner skin and few seeds."
The melon trend was not satisfactory in May - prices were low, between €0.70 and 1.00. "Quotations increased a little in June, also thanks to the fact that there were no overlaps with the produce in Northern Italy. As regards watermelons, prices hovered around €0.50-0.60 after 15th May and they even reached €1.00 in the early period. Mini-watermelons did worse than last year though, with prices that were 20% lower."
The destination markets for Fortunato are Northern Italy, Germany and France. "Italy is looking to widen the mini-watermelon range. Abroad, they usually wait for prices to go down to import the Italian produce, so the market comes alive only after mid-May. Our main competitor for melons is Morocco, which also represents an obstacle for watermelons together with Spain."
Contacts:
Joe fortunato
Fortunato SRL
c.da Pianetti c/o MOF
96018 Pachino (SR)
Tel.: (+39) 0931 591723
Fax: (+39) 0931 595675
Email: joe.fortunato@fortunato-srl.it
Web: www.fortunato-srl.it