Turkey Association of Chambers of Agriculture Board Member, Bahadir Sezgin, says that ...“As the winter temperatures were higher than usual this year, the harvest of watermelons in Adana has started much earlier.
The weather across Turkey is much higher than usual as well which increases the demand for watermelons. Additionally the month of Ramadan also positively impacted the demand. Hot weather is always a big determining factor in watermelon demand. Even though it may not be a part of traditional Turkish dinner tables, Turkish people prefer watermelon during Ramadan because of its freshening taste. The prices of watermelons will decrease even more with the field grown watermelons coming into the markets. “
Ankara Fruits and Vegetable Wholesalers Association Chairman Ceyhan Gunduz: “The price of the watermelon is slightly higher compared to last year however the quality is much better as well. It is the most sold fruit during the month of Ramadan. The increased demand also impacted negatively the demand for other fruits such as plums. The weather is also a significant contributing factor in this increasing demand. In our experience, the watermelon sales increases threefold when the weather is very hot.”