“Disastrous season overseas cantaloupe and watermelon”

The overseas melon and watermelon season is already reaching its end. According to Rolf Weber of Global Producers from Venlo the season so far has been disastrous. “That the Spanish season started three to four weeks earlier or that the exchange rate was 15 per cent lower than last year did not help, of course, but the real problem is too much supply. We saw that from Central America last year, the Brazilian season was problematic, and now we have the same problems from Central America again.”

“In Almería, Spain, they stopped greenhouse vegetable cultivation earlier and they planted melons earlier. Normally the profit of overseas melons is later in the season, but now it is completely different. Cantaloupe and watermelon have not crossed the break even point since February. All in all, it remains problematic to sell melons on the free market without supermarket programmes. The question is whether there is space on the melon market for importers without an immediate final customer or not,” Weber continues.

“Costa Rica has sent at least 40 per cent more watermelon, and supply from Panama and Honduras was also much higher. Cantaloupes are also a problem. They are losing in popularity compared to the Galia, but if they continue to be sent in the same volumes, prices will end up under pressure eventually,” Weber concludes. According to the trader, the market for Galia, Piel de Sapo and yellow melons ran fairly balanced. Global Producers will receive watermelons and Galias until week 18, and traditionally continues with yellow melons and cantaloupe until week 20.