According to the report, the cold nights in April caused a bit of a delay in the plants' development, but if the weather remains favourable now, the country's watermelon production should reach 230-240 thousand tonnes, which is 25-30 thousand tonnes more than last year. Large volumes of high quality fruit should become available by 4 July. Bekes County growers, who supply two-thirds of the country's total production, will be the first to start harvesting.
The melon season is expected to last longer this year, at least until the end of August. Export sales will begin in mid-July, mostly to German, Czech and Polish markets, where approximately 70-90 thousand tonnes of Hungarian melons are shipped.
Producers have confidence in the co-operation of retail chains, and that from July onwards they will show their preference in fruit from Hungarian producers. In recent years, producers have done a lot to use new technology and introduce new varieties to be able to supply consumers with better watermelons.
