“Brazil started the export of mini watermelons this month. It’s expected that the area planted in Rio Grande do Norte/Ceará, the main export region, is similar to last year which was 2000 hectare. As for the contracts, these were closed around mid-June, so we can say that for this season, the pace of shipments is expected to be similar as during the 2017/2018 harvest.” This was published in a recent article of HF Brasil.
It is explained in the article that during the harvest of August 2017 till March 2018, a total of 71,500 tons of the mini watermelons was exported. According to Secex (Secretariat of Foreign Trade) data, this is 2% more than the season before that and as well a new record. Last year, during the months August till November, a higher incidence of pest was reported such as white fly. Luckily, this year producers have been investing in new technologies, mainly biological control, that can reduce the impacts.