The traditional melon planting forecasts for France, Spain and Morocco were unveiled at medFEL 2024. Acreage has stabilized in France, but Spain saw a further drop this year, while in Morocco, acreage is slightly up. The Interprofessional Melon Association provides an update on the 2024 campaign and the challenges facing the sector.
The data presented are subject to change, especially for France, as planting is not yet complete and weather conditions may change.
France: surface areas continue to stabilize
For the second year, acreage has stabilized in France, with a total of 10,650 hectares (slightly up by 150 hectares). But the Interprofessional Melon Association warns that "this stabilization does not mean that the 2024 campaign will be better or worse than last year's. Indeed, 2022 and 2023 were totally different years in terms of volumes and marketing," says Myriam Martineau.
Planting was complicated in March, but has continued normally since April, according to the Association, which points out the problem of excess water in France, except in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude and Hérault regions.
Volume forecasts and production peaks will depend on fruit set and weather conditions in May and June. As Jérôme Jausseran points out, however, "there are 5 weeks between the date of fruit set and the date of harvest, so it is still early to know if there will be any delays. If next week's weather forecast comes true, the harvest in the southeast of France will not be ahead of schedule."
Morocco: slightly higher forecasts
This year, the forecast for Morocco is 1,450 hectares (slight increase of 90 hectares). Details by production basin below:
Kenitra's surface areas are stable at 120 hectares. With a total of 920 hectares this year, Marrakech is up 90 hectares. Agadir is stable at 140 hectares and Dakhla is up 40 hectares to 270 hectares.
Surface areas are slightly up, but yields have so far been rather low across all basins (around 15-18 tons per hectare maximum), leading to an overall drop in volumes, according to the Interprofessional Melon Association.
Already present on the market, the Moroccan melon harvest has already reached 70%. "The main peak has passed. There is still 40% left for Marrakech and the whole of Kenitra," according to the Association.
Spain: third consecutive year in decline
The erosion continues in Spain, which has lost 40% of its surface area in 3 years. The total surface area is currently estimated at 2,750 hectares (-380 hectares).
"This is a worrying downward trend" for the Murcia/Alicante area, which has lost 50% of its surface area in 4 years (a total of 2,000 hectares this year, with a drop of 200 hectares for this campaign). According to the Association, this decline is due to several factors including strong pressure on land, access to water, stricter environmental standards, especially in coastal areas, and sharply rising production costs. "The melon sector in Morocco and Spain is at a turning point," explains Myriam Martineau, referring to the lack of water and the planting ban in Morocco.
Photo: © Interprofessional Melon Association