MEXICO - As MAS Melons & Grapes’ Sonoran watermelon season winds down, I wanted to catch up with the shipper on how this season compares to the last and how the market continues to shape up. Sales member Miguel “Mikee” Suarez Jr. helped fill in the blanks for me.
Currently, the watermelon market is steady as production finishes up, although looking back, the market definitely saw significant fluctuations.
“The market on seedless watermelon at the start of harvest in April was higher than I have ever seen for the beginning of the Sonoran seedless watermelon deal,” Mikee remarked. “FOB prices were around $350/bin and up for 36, 45, and 60 ct fruit. This higher than usual market was in part due to a two- to three-week gap in supply from both Southern Mexico and Central America in late March, causing the demand for seedless watermelon to rise. After about April 20 or so, the market started to level out as more fruit entered the market and the regular ebb and flow of the deal proceeded with good results for growers and distributors alike while providing attractive pricing to our retail partners.”
Mikee also stated that the mini watermelon season saw a similarly good, if not better, season.
“From about mid-April to now, we experienced promotable volumes and good quality for most of the deal. Just like the large size fruit, the mini watermelons benefited from good weather, resulting in excellent quality and good movement,” he said.
At its peak, crossing reports on seedless watermelon were seeing 1,800+ loads per week, with an average of 1,450. As Mikee explained, quality shaped up to be one of the better years reported in some time.
“The weather was ideal for the majority of the season, so the fruit we received this season seemed almost effortlessly sweet and free of major quality issues. This high quality and good volumes led to promotable programs for the Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day holidays.”
As the Sonoran season winds down and other growing regions in the United States and Mexico ramp up, Mikee gave a final note on the success of the Sonoran deal.
“The Sonoran seedless watermelon deal of 2022 was overall good for the growers, distributors, and customers alike due to good volumes and steady quality,” he concluded.
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