“Trade is slowing down. It’s as if people are a bit tired of melons,” says Pieter de Ruiter of 4 Fruit Company. Yet the importer isn’t complaining. “It’s been a good summer for us traders. The tropical days were very good for the traditionally calm summer holiday. I’m well aware that it hasn’t been easy for growers, but we as traders managed to sell an extraordinary amount for good prices. Our shipping agent Anecoop bought their largest volume in years. The market for watermelons was fantastic, except for one week.”
A turning-point has now been reached. “We received fantastic Galia and Cantaloupe melons from Murcia, but now that these varieties come from La Mancha, quality problems are starting to occur. The melons are soft, sensitive and less flavourful. In watermelons you can see that roughly one in ten melons is becoming more crumbly. Price levels have now also dropped to a level between 60 and 70 cent for watermelons and between 3.50 and 4 euro for Galia. We’re now turning our gaze towards the Brazilian season, the first arrivals of which are expected in week 35.”
Pieter de Ruiter
4 Fruit Company
Handelsweg 30
2988 DB Ridderkerk, NL
Tel. +31 (0)180 64 19 02
pr@4fc.nl
www.4fruitcompany.nl