Published on : 25/05/2022 – 00:05
The trend is general among the kings of the Charente melon of the Mediterranean, the one that is round with embroidered skin and orange flesh: everywhere the cultivation areas are decreasing. The problem is not a matter of taste, but of price, which has become too low.
In Morocco, the decline is slight, but marked in the region of Marrakech, which suffered a series of early drought and rain. In France, the decrease in surface area is more substantial, since 10% of land has disappeared.
A finding that confirms a trend that dates back several years: France has lost a third of its melon fields in 10 years. In Spain, the situation is even more alarming: the country is experiencing a historic decline in its Charentais plantations.
A more expensive melon to produce in 2022
The reasons for this lack of love for the melon are multiple: this year, the unfavorable climate did not allow good cultivation. The bad year 2021 which weighed on yields did not convince farmers to expand their area.
There were logistical problems, which affected transport between Morocco and Spain, but this type of melon is very fragile and does not keep well. There is obviously also the cost of inputs, which had already increased by 30% before the war in Ukraine: melon will cost more to produce in 2022 than in 2021, confirms the Interprofessional Melon Association (AIM). Producers are more than ever caught between their production costs and too low a selling price in supermarkets.
Several operators have turned away from the melon
The Charentais melon, known for its orange flesh, no longer yields enough and this is perhaps the main reason for the drop in surface areas. Several large operators – who market and transport the melon – have abandoned the market in recent years. The latest, the Soldive group, has just stopped production in Morocco and Senegal – one of the earliest productions of the year – and has refocused in France on a single region.
In this context of price war, the future looks very uncertain. It is difficult to know what farmers’ strategy will be tomorrow when faced with the temptation to grow cereals whose prices are only rising and whose prices also have the advantage of being fixed in advance, unlike those of melon.