From 2005 to 2007, F&V production represented between 15 and 20% of total agricultural production in Spain
Melon is one of the fruits with the highest production volume in Spain. In 2000, 1,067,999 tonnes were harvested, while in 2007 production had increased 10.8% to 1,183,154 tonnes, according to data from “Frutas y Hortalizas en España” (Fruit and Vegetables in Spain), the latest report published by Fundación Cajamar.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Since 2006, the province of Punjab has been the most productive
In the 2008/2009 season, Pakistan produced a total of 693,968 tonnes of melon, harvested from an area of 47,319 hectares. This yield represents an increase of 13.7% on 2007/2008, when 610,467 tonnes were produced, while melon acreage rose by 1%.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Supplies of fruit decreased by 1.8% in 2009
A total of 1,057 tonnes of melons arrived in the wholesale market of Rungis, situated in the outskirts of Paris, in the first quarter of 2010, according to data released by the French market. This volume represented an increase of 32.4% on the first quarter of the previous year, when the market received 798 tonnes.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Despite the increase in melon acreage, production will fall in Castilla-La Mancha
According to Mr. José Luis Martínez Guijarro, Agricultural and Environmental Advisor to the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, this seasons melon harvest will be down on last year, in spite of the increase in the area harvested. It is estimated that production will reach some 300,000 tonnes.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

FRESH fruit and vegetable buyers from all over the world can be confident of finding new and exciting products to source for their own markets when they come to Asia’s premier fresh produce trade fair at the beginning of September
“With more than 20 per cent new exhibitors at ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA this year, there are excellent prospects for buyers to meet new suppliers, to make new contacts and to source new products,” says Gérald Lamusse, managing director of Global Produce Events GmbH, which organises the fresh produce trade fair in association with Asiafruit Magazine.

Asia Fruit Logistica

Positive figures for Tunisian fresh fruit and vegetables production in 2010: an output stable at 607,000 tons is estimated for summer fruits, while tomatoes should reach the threshold of 1m tons this year
According to the digital publication GreenMed.eu, forecasts for this year say that the volumes of summer fruits grown in Tunisia will be stable at 607,000 tons, whereas the number of varieties cultivated in the Country is due to increase.

GreenMed.eu

Growth of 39% is forecast to 2014
The rise of value retail and high street discounters would appear to be more than just a passing trend. Indeed, it is forecast that the discount and value channel will continue to expand in the UK, and by 2014 it will be worth 8 billion pounds, according to a recent IGD study.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Children tend to follow their parents’ eating habits
A recent study reveals that Spaniards between the ages of 2 and 24 eat only 1.4 portions of vegetables a day, below the recommended minimum intake of 2 portions a day. As for fruit, Spanish children eat 1.85 portions a day, well below the recommended minimum intake of 3 portions a day.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Aim of new initiative is to help consumers choose produce
On July 13, supermarket chain Supermercats Pujol, IRTA (Institute of Agri-food Research & Technology) and Catalan Fruit Producers’ Association Catalonia Qualitat presented a new project by the name of “Paleta de sabores” (Palette of flavours), the aim of which is to classify the taste of fruits in supermarkets according to a colour code.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

“Restaurants should start considering how they’re going to make kids’ menus healthier”
Last month’s recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) confirmed what Mintel’s research and consumers have already been suggesting: restaurants need healthier menus. Many restaurants have already listened. Between Q2 2009 and Q2 2010 menu items labeled as “healthy” grew 65%, according to Mintel Menu Insights.

Mintel

Further to last week's hot temperatures, severe storms hit the cultivations in the Po Valley. Melons are suffering because of the heat: "Yields are expected to collapse by 50%”
According to the digital publication GreeMed.eu, crops in the provinces of Verona and Mantua in particular have experienced considerable damage due to a tornado and hail. Farmers have confirmed: the peach and seasonal vegetables campaign is over, with crops devastated by the storm - the Italian Corriereortofrutticolo.it webmagazine reports.

GreenMed.eu

Melon acreage in Castilla-La Mancha increases 6.95%, ending the downward trend
In April 2010, melon acreage in Spain totalled 31,103 hectares, a slight decrease of 0.82% compared with 12 months earlier, according to a report released by the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM). Nevertheless, this is a positive result, given that it ends the dramatic downward trend in melon acreage observed in Spain over the last 3 years.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Production of 110,000 tonnes anticipated in the South-Eastern regions
After the exceptional yield reported in 2009, it is expected that France will produce approximately 250,000 t of melons in 2010, a decrease of 13% in comparison with the previous year, according to Interfel, the French Association of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Distributors.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

The company distributes its products within Spain and overseas
On 1 June, the Castellón-based company Hermanos Bruñó began to label its 5-star melon (“5 estrellas”) using the Braille system. The printing technique employed to create the label does not distort the current brand image, and the raised letters, in the form of silicone dots, can be read by touch. This system will benefit many people by allowing them to identify the product they are purchasing.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Yellow Honeydew, Piel de Sapo and Cantaloupe could be the most popular varieties
Over the next few years, Costa Rica expects to increase its melon sales, particularly to Eastern European countries. The purchasing power of these countries has grown and their demand for tropical fruits is increasing. As Procomer (the Foreign Trade Corporation of Costa Rica) told Melon Today, it is anticipated that Yellow Honeydew, Piel de Sapo and Cantaloupe will be the varieties that are most in demand in this new market.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Honeydew summer harvest area is expected to decrease 2%
According to a July report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the prospective area for harvest of Cantaloupe melons during the summer is forecast to be 11,700 hectares, up 1% from 2009. As for Honeydew melon, the area for summer harvest is forecast at 4,050 hectares, down 2% in comparison with last year.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

EC research studies the impact of F&V pigments on human health
Anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for the red, blue and purple colour of several fruits and vegetables, could be highly beneficial to human health. A research project christened the Athena Project has been developed by the European Commission to investigate further in this field.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Due to its climate and scarce water supplies, Oman has considerable potential for greenhouse farming
In a bid to support agricultural practices which use less water, the government of Oman is planning either to refurbish and modernise existing greenhouse operations or to relocate greenhouses and high water use field crops to other regions of the country. One potential area is the large region in western Oman between Thumrait and Muqsin, north of the Salalah crescent. According to the Oman Daily Observer, this area is relatively undeveloped, it has a good road and communications infrastructure, and there are potentially large undeveloped water resources.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Their target will be to improve the economic continuity for their growers & a better service to customers
Venlo/Almeria – Spanish cooperative Unica from Almeria and ZON Coöperatie from Venlo have agreed to investigate the possibility of working together commercially. Both organisations are active in the sales and marketing of fruit and vegetables on behalf of their affiliated growers, and supply direct from the grower to the customer. The target of this cooperation will be to improve the economic continuity for their growers as well as a better service to customers.

Zon - July 2010

82% of sales were made to the distribution sector
In the first 4 months of 2010, sales of fresh-cut products in Spain totalled 24,001 tonnes, 8.3% more than in the same period of 2009, according to figures announced by AFHORLA, the Spanish Fresh-cut Association which forms part of FEPEX (Spanish Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters).

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

The event, organised by FPX, will take place on 21-24 July
The XVIII International Congress of Melon and Watermelon Producers and Exporters, an event organised by the Honduran Federation of Agro-exporters (FPX) with the support of the Honduran Association of Melon Producers and Exporters (APROEXMEH), will be held on 21-24 July in Tela, Honduras, bringing together the most important players in the melon sector from all over the world.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

1.7 million tonnes of fresh fruit was exported in 2009
Turkish melon imports totalled 56,000 tonnes in 2009, an increase of 180% in comparison with 2007, when 20,000 tonnes  were exported, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute. In 2008, 45,000 exported tonnes were registered, 125% more than in 2007.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Weather conditions have delayed most of the melon production
This season Europêch'2010 anticipates that Charentais melon acreage will fall to between 1850 and 2000 ha (-12% compared with 2009). The same source calculates that Charentais acreage in Marrakech, Agadir and Kenitra will total 1500-1600 ha, 14% less than last year.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

The new product will be sold through an exclusive campaign at Tesco
Del Monte is to launch a new range of fresh-cut produce especially aimed at British children. The Fruitini range of bags is available in four varieties, one of which is Luscious Melon Bites.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Most recent melon harvest yielded 621,000 tonnes
The global economic downturn has affected the Italian melon sector, driving it to put price before quality, according to Bruno Busin, Product Manager Melon and Watermelon for Syngenta Seeds Vegetables. Syngenta, however, “seeks to promote varieties of the highest quality in the market, because if we follow suit and lower prices at origin, this will downgrade the quality of the final product,” Bruno Busin observes.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

“EU programmes of this sort can really help our producers in an increasingly competitive world”
The programmes were approved in 14 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom) to provide information on and to promote agricultural products in the European Union.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

50% of the Spanish population prepared a list and kept to it when shopping in 2009, 1.4% more than in 2006
Shopping frequency remained stable during the period from April 2009 to March 2010, as did the number of items bought on each shopping trip, according to the consultancy group Kantar Worldpanel. It was also found that shoppers are becoming more sensitive to price.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Report promotes a plant-based diet & physical activity to improve health
June 2010 saw the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Report, which will form the basis of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the USDA and HHS to promote nutrition education activities among the American population. This year’s publication emphasises an urgent need for American society to consume more fruits and vegetables if the goals of changing unhealthy eating patterns and reducing obesity are to be achieved.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

The aim is to offer buyers an efficient and convenient service
Since 1 July, Germans have been able to buy their fruits and vegetables from a new portal launched by the German branch of the international online distributor Amazon.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Euro MPs choose the Guideline Daily Amounts scheme for food labelling over the colour code system
Country of origin information is now compulsory in all European fruit and vegetable labelling, as it is for all other food products, following  a vote taken by Euro MPs in June. Through this legislation, the European Parliament has set the new regulations for food packaging in the European Union.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Fresh Convenience Congress came to London for the first time on 22-24 June 2010
The first-ever Fresh Convenience Congress saw prepared and fresh-cut produce players meet in London last week to mark a way forward for the growing category.

Fresh Convenience Congress

Moroccan tomato exports will adhere to a special seasonal schedule.
Representatives of the EU and Morocco met in Granada (Spain) last March to initiate an agreement that will accelerate the liberalisation of trade between both parties.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Fresh-cut consumption is expected to increase by 15%
Melon and watermelon are the most popular fruits eaten by Italians in front of the TV while watching the World Cup. This is the conclusion to be drawn from a recent survey of producers, distributors and consumers across Italy conducted by the Italian agricultural organisation CIA.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Household fruit consumption increases by 12%.
Melon consumption in Spanish households reached 19,085 tonnes in the first three months of 2010, an increase of 8.2% in comparison with the same period in 2009, when 17,640 tonnes were consumed, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM).

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Production remains stable in the regions of Malaga, Seville, Murcia and Cartagena
Wedged between Morocco and France, the area for Charentais production in Spain is fairly small. The volume of this production is due to fall this season, according to Interfel, the French Association of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Distributors.

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today

Fruit imports down 16.55% while exports up 20.17% in same period
Italy imported 9,581 tonnes of melons during the first quarter of 2010, 32.57% more than during the same period of 2009 when 7,227 tonnes were imported. Over the same period, melon exports increased 55.63% compared with 2009 to a total of 998 tonnes, according to data from Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics).

Syngenta Seeds Vegetables Melon Today