Unfortunately, the dreaded moment has arrived. Since July 23rd, the melon sector has been officially in a cyclical crisis, with selling prices so low that producers are no longer able to cover their costs. "We have fallen below historical averages over the last 3-5 years," explains Joël Boyer. "Prices are no longer remunerative for producers, who are losing money. It is a dramatic situation, and one that is unacceptable."
The cause is the imbalance between supply and demand, reinforced by a regrouping of production and the gloomy weather that affected two-thirds of France in mid-July. "We are now seeing the consequences of the cool weeks in May, which pooled production and made the melons all reach maturity at the same time in July. The mediocre weather also slowed down melon consumption, which is highly climate-dependent, and this has caused prices to drop drastically."
Despite this worrying situation, Joël Boyer remains hopeful. "With the return of good weather, volumes should rebalance. Commitments have already been made for the next few weeks, and the situation should improve in the first ten days of August. We expect our clients to buy so that we can return as quickly as possible to remunerative and decent prices for producers."
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Joël Boyer
Boyer
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