"New melon varieties being actively grown in Costa Rica"

The foreign melon season is off to a good start this year. Three years ago, Exsa Europe began cultivating its own yellow melons in Costa Rica. "We are actively engaged in growing new varieties to supply the market", says Marien Sinke. Marien is responsible for melon sales at this Dutch fresh produce wholesaler. "We cultivate in three areas. One of these is the Guanacaste Peninsula, where we grow watermelons (with and without pips). These are cultivated at our farms in Parrita and Playa Hermosa. We also have yellow melons at Playa Hermosa."

"All our farmers are Rainforest Alliance certified. This guarantees several things. We stimulate the bio-diversity. We save natural resources such as water and soil. We keep the use of chemicals to the bare minimum. This certification also means we ensure social responsibility for the growers as well as the workers and their families. The local community is also protected. This is because there is no, or minimal, pesticides to be found in the groundwater", says Marien. Exsa Europe works with a 'meet-the-grower' concept. They introduce producers to clients by, among other things, showing them clips.

According to him, the watermelon season has been good since it began. "The arrival of watermelons from Panama a few weeks ago had a slight effect on the market. Sales are, however, still good. Prices are around EUR1,00 for seedless watermelons and a bit lower for those with pips. We are also positive when to comes to demand, seeing as warmer weather is predicted for the weekend. The quality of yellow melons drops a bit when the Brazilian season comes to an end. The market does, however, recover. We are expecting an improved market situation in the coming weeks."

Exsa Europe focuses on a wide range of clients when it comes to melon sales. These range from retail to wholesalers and processors. "The number of players on the European melon market is reasonably stable. The volume of Brazilian watermelons on the European market is decreasing due to pressure from other markets", says Marien. "Among the different varieties, you see the Piel de Sapo melons making its way to North-Western and Eastern Europe as well as the countries in the southern region in Europe. We have consciously decided to cultivate watermelons and yellow melons. Costa Rica is a relatively expensive country to farm in. This makes it less suitable for Galia melons. These are good to grow in less expensive countries such as Honduras and Brazil."

"We have two firm, sweet varieties of seedless watermelons - the Maxima and the Joya. They have red flesh and are well suited to the processing industry. There are very few varieties of seedless watermelons that come from Costa Rica. This means we can distinguish ourselves well", says Marien. Exsa Europe currently cultivates the Natal, Goldex and Nautilo varieties of yellow melons. As a reaction to the large volumes of big fruit on the market, Exsa Europe has had special packaging designed. Three boxes are stacked on top of each other.

The Nautilo is a newcomer on the yellow melon scene. These were planted for the first time this year, in collaboration with the breeder, Enza Zaden. "The results on the experimental farm were very promising last year. This is why we planted this newcomer on a large scale this year." Its trajectory is being closely monitored by Sebastiaan Slesky of Enza Costa Rica and the Exsa people, including Fred Rennen. "We are expecting the first shipment of this new variety any day now. Expectations are running high."

For more information:
Marien Sinke
Exsa Europe
Tel: +31(0)887 350 011
marien.sinke@exsaeurope.com
www.exsaeurope.com