Salento is the main area of the region of Puglia where summer watermelons are produced. Generally, in the month of July, thanks also to tourism, consumption should reach its highest peak and producers should be highly satisfied. Unfortunately however, this is not the case.
The testimony of a local operator leaves no doubt regarding the disproportion between production costs and supply by distributors. "We are talking about 2.5 cents/kg per field-grown watermelon, against the production costs, which often are double if not triple. Instead, as far as the melon season is concerned, we have witnessed a growth in prices following a shortage of this product. Unfortunately, reaching such a quotation when it comes to watermelons and mini watermelons is unrealistic".
According to the operator, the struggle between the various groups of large-scale retail chains can pose a risk for the entire production sector which might disappear. "There have been several discussions to encourage the sale of the local product and certainly consumption is not lacking, even though the latter is mainly based on varieties of watermelons of smaller weight and size.
Producers are profoundly discouraged and feel a sense bitterness: "All in all, Greece has recorded a fairly positive campaign, with prices ranging between 20 and 24 cents/kg, and also for Sicily the results of the campaign were fairly discrete. On the other hand, the situation in Puglia (which has a greater offer) has been catastrophic in 2017, and is expected to be the same this year," explains the operator.
Even working with customers abroad does not seem to be a safe solution: "Nowadays buyers are informed, almost in real time, of the prices offered on the market and even the price of high quality goods has decreased so that it is aligned with the general offer. However, there is still a chance when the product is sold on the wholesale markets, especially if it is of high quality".
"The production of watermelons might risk facing the same fate as for the baby potatoes in the Lecce area, which have practically disappeared. Even the attribution of the PDO designation of origin has not been enough to prevent its failure", concludes the operator.