José Vieira, president of the Federation of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing of Rio Grande do Norte (Faern), discussed the forecast for the 2024/2025 harvest. The Executive Committee of Fruit Growing of Rio Grande do Norte (Coex) predicts an 8% increase in the export of melon and watermelon, translating to an additional 24,000 tons for the international market.
Vieira highlighted the favourable winter conditions, high production costs in Europe, labour and climate challenges, and favourable exchange rates as factors contributing to the optimistic export outlook. In the 2023/2024 season, the region exported over 87,000 tons of these fruits, primarily to Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The first five months of 2024 saw a 6.13% growth in the export of melon, watermelon, papaya, and mango compared to the same period in 2023, with volumes increasing from 91,600 tons to 97,200 tons.
This growth also reflected in the export value, which rose by 2.43% to nearly US$ 70.4 million. Vieira expressed high hopes for the export performance of not only melon and watermelon but also mango and papaya.
Source: abrafrutas.org