"Melons - good demand, limited supply, sky-high prices"

Here are the current world melon prices. "Watermelon is being sold for EUR1,10-1,15. Good-sized Galias are going for EUR8-9, with the smaller ones being sold for EUR6-7. These are prices we have not seen in years", says Pieter de Ruiter of Dutch company, 4Fruit Company. "The price for good-sized Cantaloupe is at the EUR9-10 mark. Smaller ones sold for EUR3 in other years. They are now going for EUR5-6. Last but not least, prices for yellow melons are just crazy. They are between EUR17 and EUR18 for a 12kg box!"

The Netherlands has been experiencing exceptionally good weather since the end of April. This has stimulated melon consumption considerably. Besides this, the situation in Spain has also had a major influence on prices, according to the importer. "Last year, Almerian bell pepper prices spiked at the end of the season. Many Spanish farmers waited for this to happen again this year. They took their times removing their plants. This, despite the fact that there was no price increase for bell peppers this year. It was also cold in Spain. Even now, the weather is better in the Netherlands than in Almeria. Growers waited too long to plant melons. This resulted in a much lower supply of watermelons, Galias, Cantaloupe, and yellow melons."

"We received full truckloads of Galia melons last year. Now, it is a challenge to find enough of them", says Pieter. He expects the situation to continue as is, for a while. "Murcia has already indicated that they can only start in three or four weeks. This is a week or two later than usual. There is a high demand in the Netherlands. We are also receiving orders from countries such as Germany and Austria. Italy is also in the market. This is due to the limited volumes in the south. In short, everyone is happy, except the Spanish growers. They did not get their dream prices for their bell peppers. Now, they also do not have any melons available."