"A push to market large influx of melons"

Supply of melons is plentiful at the moment. "The beautiful spring has led to very successful yields, causing a number of countries to go to market at the same time. All those countries are vying for the favour of the European consumer. Spain is competing with Italy, Italy with Morocco, and there are still some leftovers of overseas production on the market. At some point the market will then be saturated, and a push will be needed to market the large influx of melons," says Leon van den Hombergh of Frankort & Koning.

"Sales are good, but the volumes that have been supplied are so big, that the market is coming under some pressure. And with fruit it's very straightforward. When the weather isn't that sunny, consumption drops. And it's doing so quite rapidly at the moment," Leon says. "We only really saw a summery blip around Pentecost, just at a time when the shops were closed. The current below 20°C temperatures are too low to stimulate melon consumption."

"The price pressure goes for all varieties, although watermelons react most strongly to weather conditions. This also has consequences for the sale of stonefruit, soft fruit, and top fruit. At the moment, melon prices are between 3 and 5 Euro for 5 kg, and those aren't prices that make growers happy," Leon concludes. "The good thing is that if the weather improves, the market can revive as well, just like that. That would be right on time too, because before you know it, the 'small gardens' in countries like Hungary and Poland will be starting production again."

For more information:
Leon van den Hombergh
Frankort & Koning
Venrayseweg 126
5928 RH Venlo
Tel: +31 (077) 389 72 72
Fax: +31 (077) 382 61 34
www.frankort.nl