RIO RICO, AZ - Our fresh produce world moves seemingly at the speed of light, and any time we get the inside scoop on a category’s market, there is no time to waste. With melon transitions just around the corner, I had the chance to speak with MAS Melons’ Miguel “Mikee” Suarez Jr. of Sales to take a look at what the market has to offer at this time.
“We are currently in the tail end of our Southern Mexico melon season and about two weeks out from starting harvest on our Northern Mexico crop. We will finish up our southern crop by the end of March,” Mikee told me. “As we head toward the transition, I would definitely say the market is tight with high pricing due to low availability. This will change once some northern fruit starts to become available in the next 10–15 days.”
MAS Melons is harvesting minimal supplies of Honeydews, miniature watermelons, conventional watermelons (bins and cartons), and the new Orange Candy melon to cover business from Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit, Mexico. The Northern Mexico crop will kick off with watermelon harvest, and the company has an estimated start date of April 12 out of Hermosillo. Additionally, Honeydews from MAS Melons’ Caborca growers will be available in early May.
“Quality out of Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit was excellent this season due to favorable weather. Hermosillo and Caborca had some winter rains and hail, but crops look healthy and show minimal to no damage,” continued Mikee. “The region is starting to heat up as we head into April, so we expect to have good watermelon growing weather to produce the sweetest watermelons just in time for spring.”
MAS Melons has a stacked spring and summer deal to offer its customers. The lineup includes conventional watermelon, Honeydew melon, over 10 varieties of table grapes, zucchini/grey/yellow squash, and Orange Candy melons. Due to positive feedback and good reception from customers, the company has tripled its plantings of the Orange Candy melons for this spring, which will be available around May 25.
What else might the market have in store? Keep reading AndNowUKnow to find out.
