Po treat yourself to a nice fresh slice of melon, you’ll have to get your hands dirty. Between inflation and the weather, prices on market stalls and supermarkets are incredibly high. As the summer season approaches, the prices of the famous star fruit of the summer can fluctuate around 5 euros, or even reach up to 10 euros! Rates which are explained by a set of factors, as related by BFMTV on Saturday June 11.
With the rise in summer temperatures, French demand for melon is increasing. But the production did not follow, due to the drought in the south of France and episodes of rain in Morocco and Spain. According to RFI, French melon fields have also lost a third of their area in ten years. A drop in Charentais melon plantations which partly explains the rise in prices. Other answers: the war in Ukraine, which led to a sharp increase in the cost of raw materials (plastic, fuel, etc.), and record inflation in May.
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An expensive fruit to produce
In addition to being less and less profitable, if at all, the beautiful round melon is expensive to produce. According to BFMTV, it would be necessary to hire two to three people to cultivate and harvest one hectare of melons over the season. The decline in melon production could also be explained by the shortage of seasonal labor on farms. “To compensate for the lack of staff, I work every day of the week and on weekends. I no longer count my hours, ”lamented Jessica Régulier, melon producer at Domaine de la Roche in New Aquitaine, to the Figaro.
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