Agrícola Famosa, based in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, is the largest producer and exporter of melon and watermelon in Brazil. The company is about to increase fruit shipments to Europe by more than 10% in the current harvest season. The season started in August 2022.
According to CEO Carlo Porro, the company hopes to have exported 220,000 tons by April 2023, more than half of the total 400,000 tons the state expects to ship, with estimated revenue of R$ 1.1 billion.
According to Porro, the increase is thought to be the result of three factors: 1) the quality of fruit yields is very satisfactory; 2) productivity is very high; 3) demand in Europe is high because its harvest was completed earlier than usual due to the heat that plagued the crops, combined with the loss of productivity area in key producing countries, such as Spain.
To get closer to end customers in the United Kingdom, the second largest destination for Famosa’s fruit in Europe, the Brazilian company created Melon & Co. “In its first year of life, the company sold 50 million pounds to British supermarkets,” said Porro.
Famosa increased sales to the United States, bringing in 8,000 tons this season. Still, the logistical problem with containers, ships, and ports, says the CEO, prevented the company from continuing melon exports to China, a market first opened in 2020. “We will try to resume these shipments next year.”
Source: datamarnews.com