Like many other fruits and vegetables, melons, which are a highly climate-dependent product, are currently suffering from a lack of consumption on the French market. Jérôme Jausseran, president of Force Sud, looks back on the 2024 season. "We started the campaign with the Moroccan sources in late February/early March, and ran out of steam at the beginning of May, with less optimal quality in some production basins. Coupled with the start of the Spanish campaign in the first half of May and fairly good weather conditions, we had an undersupplied market, so prices were fairly high."
Almost non-existent consumption due to the weather
Unfortunately, this positive situation on the melon market was short-lived. "Since May 15th, the influx of Spanish products has intensified and the weather has deteriorated considerably, with not a single day of sunshine in some production basins. As a result, although fed up with winter products, people still have not started eating melons. Consumption is virtually non-existent." According to the president of Force Sud, this lack of demand is linked "primarily to the weather," combined with the end of the month, when households are less inclined to consume in general.
Very good quality Spanish melons
The quality of this year's Spanish melons has been "particularly good. We are very satisfied with the quality of the merchandise we have received. Unfortunately, the weather has not encouraged French consumers to enjoy this quality. The situation is now complicated because the bulk of Spanish volumes are behind us. So even if consumption picks up again, the year will still be difficult. We hope the campaign will last until week 26. With the lack of sunshine and heat, the French melon campaign will certainly get off to a later and slower start than usual."
The market will probably be under-supplied, with prices "likely to be very high", when the weather finally improves for the long term in France and drives consumption upwards.
Difficult balance to find
It is difficult to assess the consequences of the reduced surface areas in Spain (40 to 45% in 3 years), since it is mainly the weather that determines consumption. For Jérôme Jausseran, if the weather had been milder, supply might even have struggled to keep up with the demand. "It is not easy to find the right balance. In the past, we planted 5100 hectares of Spanish Charentais melons and today, we are far from having too much supply, with less than 3,000 hectares. But certain factors, such as the weather, cannot be anticipated, hence the difficulty to evolve on our market."
Positioning in a premium segment
Force Sud melons, positioned in the premium segment, can be found under the brand name Perle des Champs, recognizable by a sticker featuring a picture of their producer. Always striving for perfection, Force Sud also offers Red Label Spanish melons.
For more information:
Jérôme Jausseran
Force Sud
Phone: +33 4 99 47 49 49
[email protected]
www.forcesud.fr