“Supermarkets haven’t exactly contributed to good melon sales”

The Spanish melon season is not going well. “The season has actually been going badly from the start. There’s an abundant supply of melons, and sales aren’t keeping up,” says Jacob Aktalan from MG Fruit. “Murcia is still in production, and the season in La Mancha has also started by now. That season lasts until September, and then Brazil will be about to start.”

“We’ve come from a very bad period. Take watermelons, for example, prices were between 15 and 20 cents last week. Fortunately, the market is recovering a bit now, and hopefully we’ll be at a level of between 30 and 35 cents by the end of the week, but that’s still not very high. And supply is considerable,” the importer says. He emphasises that renowned retailers haven’t exactly contributed to the sales. “While we had trouble selling watermelons for 3 or 4 euro per 20-kilogram box, supermarkets used these prices for single watermelons. That’s not exactly encouraging sales of melons!”

“Compared to last week, the market for Galia melons is much stronger, but supply is 30-40 per cent lower. Prices were at a level of 2.50-3 euro last week, but now they are selling at prices between 3.50 and 4 euro,” Jacob continues. “The Cantaloupe market isn’t too wild either, with prices of 3.50-4 euro for 10 kilograms, and prices for yellow melons are at a level between 4 and 5 euro for 12 kilogram.”

“We need several hot days in a row. We had some hot days sporadically, but it often started raining or it became colder after that. We haven’t had a long, hot period, like we did last year. Hopefully we’ll have an Indian summer, but I’m afraid it won’t make up for the season,” Jacob concludes.