The first melons from Morocco arrived on the French market last week. "As usual, we are starting with the Dakhla region in the south of the country. In two weeks, the melons from Marrakech will arrive," explains Eric Godard, manager of Agence Laparra at the Rungis market.
These first volumes from Morocco come after the Brazil and Honduras origins, which have been supplying the French market all winter. According to Eric, "there is very little merchandise from Senegal this year, due to profitability issues in the past seasons. This year, professionals are therefore refocusing on the Moroccan origin."
Regarding the harvest forecasts, volumes are expected to be more or less the same as last year. "We will have more precise details next week, when volumes intensify with the start of production in Marrakech." The quality is highly satisfactory at the start of the campaign, thanks to favorable weather conditions in all production zones. "The initial customer feedback has been positive, especially in terms of quality. Fortunately, we have reasonable volumes for the moment, as the current weather is not really favorable to consumption. There were some issues with price positioning at the beginning, but we have now found a good balance in relation to the current volumes and consumption. Nevertheless, French consumers are keen to see new products on the shelves. If the weather improves in parallel with intensifying volumes, the market should remain well balanced."
For more information:
Eric Godard Durand
Agence Laparra
62A, rue de Montpellier
Bat C2
94622 Rungis
Phone: +331 46 86 40 30
Mobile: +336 09 22 20 84
eric.godard@laparra.fr
www.laparra.fr