The Honduran melon, which is mainly grown in the communities of Valle and Choluteca in the extreme south of the country, is exported to 47 countries on three continents, according to a report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG).
Up until August, melon exports, including watermelon exports, amounted to 69.5 million dollars, i.e. 17.9 million dollars more than in the same period of 2016.
This evolution is attributed to the 27.9 percent increase in international prices and the 5.3 percent increase in volume. The United States and the Netherlands are the largest buyers of Honduran fruit in the world.
For many years, the dynamics of marketing focused solely on the United States, but due to the diversification of the varieties, the exportable supply and the amount of land that is planted, sales worldwide increased.
The most exported varieties in the green melons category, are the cantaloupe, honeydew, and galia variety.
In the current 2016/17 season, Honduras has exported 3,908 containers of melons, i.e. 84,178.14 metric tons, according to the same report of the SAG.
In May 2016, domestic producers entered the Japanese market with the mediation of government authorities.
In July of this year, Taiwan confirmed the approval of the importation of melons grown on two Honduran farms. The first containers should be arriving in that country in the last week of December.
Source: latribuna.hn