According to the latest report on protected horticultural products from the Observatory of Prices and Markets of the Government of Andalusia, corresponding to week 19, the supply of melon in the first weeks of the harvest is 40 to 50% lower than in the previous campaign.
"The weather instability during most of the spring, in which there's been intense warmth, abundant rainfall, and frequent cloud cover, has drastically reduced production and, in some cases, forced producers to uproot their plantations." However, the Andalusian agency highlighted, that the scarce supply has helped all commercial types achieve record prices.
The price of yellow melon has remained at around one euro per kilo for the last three weeks. In week 19, it was traded on average at € 0.98/kg, a much higher price than the € 0.47/kg it achieved in the same week last year.
The average price of the Piel de Sapo melon stood at € 1.05/kg. The price of the Cantaloupe, which in week 18 stood at € 1.13 per kilo, fell to € 1.10/kg, and the Gaul melon was quoted at € 1.00/kg.
According to the report, watermelon has obtained historic prices in the month of May due to an unusually low supply.
"The quality of the harvested fruit has improved compared to the month of April. However, there are still fruits that have not been properly formed and the percentage of dexterity is high. The yields of the watermelons collected to date range from 3-4 kg/m², values significantly lower than the usual values for these dates. Watermelon is in good demand on both the domestic and international markets, where overseas competition has been significantly reduced and Greece and Morocco have a limited presence," the Observatory stated.
The average price of the mini watermelon in the fields stood at € 0.77/kg and the price of black watermelon was € 1.10/kg. Meanwhile, striped watermelon was traded at € 0.90/kg in week 19.