"May had very ordinary melon prices"

On the European melon market, May was nothing to write home about. "That applies to not only the overseas season's tail end," says Leon van den Hombergh.  "But also the Spanish season's start." Leon is the Dutch company Frankort&Koning's commercial director. "The initial high temperatures in Spain accelerated production,…

Major shortage of kiwi fruit on the French market

The Peruzzo Group mainly sells kiwi fruit from Greece, Italy and France. But this year, the weather hazards have had a severe impact on production, foreshadowing a rather gloomy campaign. “One thing is for sure: we will be heavily penalized in the coming weeks,” explains Tony Saglietto, managing director…

"There will be a greater watermelon supply than last year, but lower than we expected"

The rains and lack of sunlight persist throughout the Spanish Levante, casting some doubts as to their possible impact on the supply of upcoming crops, such as watermelon, in the Region of Murcia. To make matters worse, in Lorca, a heavy hail storm was recorded on May 13 which took a toll on more than…

Moroccan watermelon will be in big volumes this season

More volumes of Moroccan watermelons this season? less? statements contradict each other and uncertainty still reigns after the first harvests. However, according to several…

Azerbaijan introduced a temporary restriction on the import of peppers and kiwi from Iran

AFSA revealed that after examining 19 shipments of peppers and 34 shipments of kiwis imported by Iranian companies, quarantine pests (brown fruit wrinkling virus and mulberry…

Sakata's Piel de Sapo melon for greenhouses has been very well received in Almeria

Sakata has presented Don Gregorio, its first Piel de Sapo Melon for Greenhouse production, to farmers and marketers who were pleasantly surprised by this variety's flavor. “We have achieved our goal: to land in Almeria with a high-quality, excellent-tasting greenhouse melon that is no different from the…

The Haut-Poitou melon launches 2023 season and celebrates 25th anniversary of PGI

“With its yellow rind, its firm, juicy and fragrant orange flesh, well-developed aroma and deliciously sweet taste,” the Haut-Poitou melon PGI is celebrating the 25 years of its label. Spread over 4 French departments (Maine-et-Loire, Indre-et-Loire, Vienne and Deux-Sèvres), the 12 producers cultivate on…

Fierce competition for Turkish watermelons

The watermelon season in Turkey has kicked off, and according to Coskun Eren, marketing manager for Turkish fresh produce exporter Eren, everything is pretty much smooth sailing so far: “The general expectations for our watermelon season are okay for now. We will start with the open field watermelons…

"Watermelon prices have plunged to the levels they normally have in July due to the large supply and low demand"

The area devoted to watermelon cultivation in Spain decreased by about 20% over the previous season, a decrease that has been offset by higher yields than usual in Almeria's greenhouses. However, the production has found an unusually low demand in European markets due to bad weather. “Producers in…

Early demand from rest of Europe for Hungary’s 2023 watermelon crop

As Hungary’s watermelon season is expected to return to normal levels, after a challenging few years, buyers in the rest of Europe have already started placing orders in winter to secure supply. It is estimated the industry will see a 10% increase in area planted, which signals a return to 2021 levels in…

"So far, watermelon sales have been driven more by the domestic market than by exports"

Almeria's watermelon season has quickly entered a cycle of price declines, despite it still being in its early stages. "There is a lot of supply and little demand; the opposite of last year, when the volumes available were much smaller due to the weather. Yields have reached 9 kilos per meter, while last…

"Our harvest window opens in late March and as such gives us a quite significant break on the Zespri Sun Gold variety"

The Italian Gold variety “Dori” came to Australia 3 years ago and is in the establishment phase in Australia. Production is still modest at 150 tons this year and anticipating 300 tons next season. Volumes will continue to rise quite rapidly over the next few years as plantings already exceed 100ha. Dori…

Excellent Mundial netted melon campaign

"It's an excellent year for Consorzio Mundial Group melons. Demand is high and we are very pleased with both production and commercialization," explains President Domenico Raneri. Domenico Raneri "The weather, albeit fluctuating, facilitated production this year, so much so that ripening and Brix levels…

EastFruit

Who loves Moroccan watermelons the most?

EastFruit continues a series of articles on the horticultural market in Morocco. The country is confidently increasing exports of several categories of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables, including Moroccan watermelons. Watermelon is one of the main fruit and vegetable export categories for Morocco…

Indian farmer producer organizations successfully export watermelons to Dubai

Indian watermelons are earning a premium over those from Iran in Dubai with a few farmer producer organizations (FPOs) beginning to ship the fruit to the United Arab Emirates.…

Possible watermelon shortage for 4th of July

While it’s a slower start for watermelons in Mexico due to the cool weather, supplies are increasing steadily. “We’re about 10 days behind but it’s steady and there’s great size and great quality,” says Dennis Peterson of Riverbend Fresh LLC. “On the earlier melons with the cooler weather, there was a…

"Good demand and enough supply of (water)melons in coming weeks"

"This season, we're continuing longer, until mid/end May, with good quality Brazilian and Honduran melons and watermelons. In May, supply from Spain and Italy will also slowly begin arriving, with expected limited quantities and high prices," begins Frank Ocampo (Melon and Watermelon Global Sourcing and…

Setting the standard to improve eating quality of Australian melons

A project to improve the eating quality and consumer demand of Australian melons is progressing well, with a series of grower meetings across Australia being completed by 3rd May 2023. The project, led by Mark Loeffen of Delytics Ltd in collaboration with Melons Australia and the Australian melon…

“The majority of the areas where mangoes grow are still safe and good to go”

The unseasonal rain in India did indeed damage some of the crops, but many of the cultivation areas haven’t been affected as much, says Manoj Barai, general manager for Indian fresh produce exporter MK Exports: “The current mango season looks very promising as this year's demand is very good compared to…

Spring melon deal underway in Mexico

The spring season is here and for Divine Flavor, the grower-shipper is in full swing with its melon program for the next 50 days. With offerings of watermelon (regular seedless and mini seedless), cantaloupe and honeydew, grown both organic and conventional, the company anticipates a strong May in volume…

The earliest netted melon in Europe is now available

"For those who do not know, Sicily is the European region where netted melons are harvested first, so it is necessary to pay attention to the origin of produce along the chain, if we want to supply distributors with a product boasting the added value of an Italian origin," explains Vincenzo Di Pasquale…

Stable acreage in France, slight decrease in Morocco and drastic drop for Spain

After the apricots, it is now time for the melon harvest predictions. Like every year, the Interprofessional Melon Association presented the 2023 plantation predictions for Charentais melons at medFEL for Morocco, Spain and France. For the first time in years, the predictions indicate a slight increase…

FreshPlaza Global Focus on melons and kiwifruit

In May FreshPlaza will be focussing on kiwifruit and melons, are you a grower, importer or exporter of kiwifruit or melons? We would love to hear from you. You can send us some information or we can call you for an interview, just let us know. You can contact info@freshplaza.com    MarketingWould you like to get…