“This year is a disaster for the melon,” claims Mourad Ben Salem, of the Rungis-based company Med’Essor. “Last year, we had 10 pallets to an entire truck arriving each day, but this year, we get one pallet maximum on a good day.”
Drought, decline in surface areas…Most of the producing regions are in decline this year. The Spanish production is cut in half, the melons from Morocco have quality problems because of incidents related to logistics, and the French production is starting “very slowly” this year. “Some professionals even stopped producing melons altogether and have turned to other products,” explains Mourad, who is hoping that larger quantities will arrive in the coming days.
In this context, prices are up the roof, reaching up to 5 euros [5.37 USD] for French melons. “We feared a massive arrival of merchandise on the market, which would have caused prices to drop, but in the end, all the productions around the Mediterranean are in decline.”
For more information:
Mourad Ben Salem
Med’Essor
Rue de Carpentras CP90295
94592 Rungis Cedex
Phone: 01 41 80 64 60
Mobile: 06 73 35 37 41
medessor@yahoo.fr