What is happening to peaches and nectarines is also affecting watermelons: there is plenty of high-quality produce available but nobody wants it. "The season did not help, for when spring months are as bad as they have been so far, it is very difficult for the market to recover," explains Renzo Mainetti, one of the owners of Novafruit.
Stefano Zucchini, another owner, adds that "there are a lot of varieties available at the moment - Top Gun, Trophy, Miyaco and Farao. Some early ones are still coming in from Latina, but the quality is not as good as it was at the start of the season."
All the produce is local, because the foreign one does not sell. "It would just be unthinkable - prices are already really low, adding transport costs would only make matters worse."
"Prices vary between €0.10 and €0.30 per kilo, whereas the lowest ones should be over €0.30. Things are not looking good and the reason is clear: last week, the average temperature was 17°C during the day and 12°C at night, so demand is practically non-existent."
Sales are slow despite the high-quality of the product. "This year, watermelons were excellent, weighing between 5 and 18 kilos. The smallest grades are usually destined to retailesr whereas the bigger ones tend to be sent to cutters, shops and stalls who cut them in front of clients."
What really affects watermelon sales is "the weather. Only if temperatures go back to being the normal ones expected for this season will we see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Contacts:
Novafrut Srl
Renzo Mainetti
Via Paolo Canali, 1 c/o Caab
Bologna - Italy
Tel.: (+39) 051 2861597-2861596
Fax: (+39) 051 2861601