The 2016-2017 Honduran melon export season will begin on December 15 when, according to representatives of the sector, the melon sector will ship the first containers of the season.
The first shipments will be destined for the US market, specifically for Miami, which absorbs most of the Honduran melon production.
One of the novelties of this cycle is that Honduras is scheduled to start exporting melons to the demanding Japanese market in January 2017.
The melon industry comprises two harvest cycles, which take place from September to May each year.
Overview
According to producers from Choluteca and Valle, there are good expectations for the first cycle.
Weather conditions are favorable, they said, so forecasts are there will be good levels of productivity.
According to estimates, yields per acre will range between 900 and 1,000 boxes of melon.
Producers hope to recover from the losses they had in 2014 and from the losses they had to the whitefly in some municipalities in the south of the country.
The whitefly had a negative impact on their income, as they only achieved sales for 51.6 million dollars in the 2015-2016 season; less than the 62.9 million dollars obtained by the sector in 2014.
According to authorities, the melon sector is expected to export between 60 million and 65 million dollars in the 2016-2017 season.
Source: laprensa.hn