Watermelon supply will be unsettled and lighter yields are expected between now and the Fourth of July. “There’s going to be some randomness in production and it will be very unpredictable. That’s mainly due to normal supply being planted and then the weather affecting what we have,” says Dennis Peterson of Riverbend Fresh LLC.

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That abnormal weather is tracing back to the warm spring that produced a mixed set of melons. “The desert also didn’t get a good yield and product came on early,” he says, noting that quality is mixed there as well. “Bakersfield, California has started in a light way but there’s not enough supply for the demand that we have.”

That means that melon supply is expected to be tight heading into the Fourth of July–a notable high watermelon consumption holiday.

No extra product
There’s another issue though that is affecting fruit availability. “There is a lack of extra product because some retailers and foodservice companies are not spreading the business out enough. We’re losing farms here and if retailers or foodservice are having an issue, there’s nowhere else to pull from. There’s no extra product when there’s no product is what I’m saying. It’s a problem across the board,” Peterson says, adding that continued escalating costs are also affecting growers and their ability to stay in business. “I would have planted more but I didn’t feel comfortable doing it. I don’t have the customer support that I’ve had in the past and I feel like it’s a dwindling deal.”

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All of this is leaving watermelon pricing up higher than it was amidst production in the desert and Mexico. There are also challenges with commitments. “Some big shippers are out six months in advance with big retailers because they have to and now they’re hustling to cover commitments that they made based on a market having extra product that they didn’t grow–but hoped someone else would,” he says.

Looking ahead, more normal production is anticipated for mid to late July. “Last year there was overproduction and product was priced low. This year I anticipate it to be back to normal with more of a reasonable market,” says Peterson.

For more information:
Dennis Peterson
Riverbend Fresh LLC.
Tel: +1 (559) 846-3320
[email protected]