Archaeologists have found records of watermelons in the tombs of the Pharaohs five 5,000 years before Christ. The fruit was placed in the tombs of the Pharaohs to feed them after death. Its centre of origin is most likely the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa and their consumption and production were recorded in Egypt 5000 BC, in China in the 10th century, in Europe in the 20th century and America in the 14th century.
The growth of global production and consumption of watermelon is impressive. Here are the details of its evolution between 1970 and 2009:
The world watermelon production went from 18 to 88 million tons - 4 times
The world population grew from 2.5 billion to 6.9 billion people - 2 times
Production in China grew from 5 million to 65 million - 13 times
The Brazilian production increased from 247,000 to 2 million tons - 7 times
International trade grew from 212,000 to 2,3 million tons - 10 times
China, Turkey, Iran, Brazil and the United States are the largest watermelon producers. Mexico, Spain, the United States, Kazakhstan and Vietnam are the main exporters. Already the U.S., China, Germany, Canada and France are the largest importers.
Source: Jornal entre posto