Almeria's campaign finished over a week ago and Murcia's plantations are not producing the expected volumes, which has caused Piel de Sapo melon reference prices to skyrocket above the 0.60 Euro mark on average, reaching up to 0.80 Euro. Melon operators point out that this inflationary process is not good, as it causes market demand to slow down.
Unfavourable weather conditions during the Winter and the cool Spring in Murcia are resulting in lower production volumes. The supply prospects for week 27 are lower than expected and this is leading to shortages of Piel de Sapo melons in the Spanish market and of Galia and Yellow melons for export.
"With these prices, the market comes to a halt and neither the wholesalers nor the chains maintain their usual levels of demand," points out José Atanasio, director of the brand El Monarca. "We can only wait for the situation to normalise as soon the fruits begin maturing properly," explains Atanasio.
The melon shortages also affect Almeria, where the peak of the campaign is already over and only a handful of buyers are profiting from interesting prices in the final auctions.
