The French melon market is relatively balanced

“Melons from Central America and South America are still present on the French market but the melons from Senegal and Morocco now have priority,” explains Eric Godard Durand. The two origins have been on the market since mid-February. In two weeks, the melons from Spain will arrive in France. “The production area around Dakhla has been present since the beginning and Marrakech started two weeks ago, in greenhouses and open fields. The volumes will increase until the arrival of Spain at the beginning of May.” The French production will be available in June.

The volumes currently present on the market “correspond to the demand”, according to Eric, so “the market is relatively balanced.” Fortunately, the volumes are quite low because the weather is not favorable for melon consumption. But the weather is expected to improve in a few days, so we hope that the demand will follow.”

For the moment, “the preparations are going well,” but it is still too early to predict exactly how the campaign will go. “Between now and then, the weather could be bad and impact both production and consumption.”

The surface areas have decreased slightly this year in the Mediterranean basin.

French consumers prefer yellow Charentais melons
Morocco produces mainly green Charentais melons but in Spain, the yellow Charentais variety is predominant. French consumers often choose this variety for its flavor. “But today, the green Charentais varieties have a better behavior and a very good taste. Over the last 15 years, a lot of progress and varietal improvements have been made, so there is no such thing as bad melons anymore.”