The Spanish melon season is entering its last phase. "The central Spanish region still has some melons, mainly yellow, Piel de Sapo and watermelons but most melons are gone in Murcia," says commercial director Leon van den Hombergh of Frankort & Koning. "Despite the limited volume the prices were extremely low in recent weeks. The prices of Galia/Cantaloupe were often between 2 and 4 Euro per box and the price of yellow melons was also at a low level. The price of watermelons is only coming out of a dip now."
"After a very rainy start an extremely warm spring with more extreme weather followed. This had a lot of impact on the quality. The shelf life isn't that long and especially the Galias, cantaloupes and watermelons are running out. We have to wait and see how the quality holds up with the yellow melons and Piel de Sapos. But the weather is always the deciding factor in the price and consumption of melons. A small volume can cause an overflow if there is bad weather. Over the last three days you can see that around 15 degrees causes the demand for melons to head towards zero, but this can change completely after two days of sun. All in all we need another month of good weather to get a good start for the overseas season. France and Italy also still have a large volume of cantaloupe melons."
"Brazil is coming with a record harvest. They had some rain there in June and July and the new fields look gorgeous. The cheap Reaal will also stimulate export. It's clear that the Brazilians have enough productions. We will need good weather to consume this volume in Europe," concludes Leon. .
