by Marieke Hemmes, Fresh Plaza
The Fourth of July holiday brought the usual spike in sales this year, though prices were a little low when compared to past years. Production in the West is centered in California, where the Central Valley’s growers are harvesting a steady supply of fruit.
“Demand was very good for the Fourth of July, though prices were a little off,” said Rodney Van Bebber with Pappas Produce. “I don’t see prices tanking, but I doubt if they will get much better between now and Labor Day.” On July 12, prices for red seedless 35-count watermelons from the San Joaquin Valley were between $0.14 and $0.18 per pound, and prices for red seeded 35-count watermelons were between $0.12 and $0.14 per pound.
Part of the reason Van Bebber doesn’t see the market getting significantly better is because of the competition from several states in the West. Though California is responsible for a large chunk of production, local harvesting in several states keeps prices down.
“Oregon picks up in a week or two, and then Utah and New Mexico have a few places going. Those places will buy local if they have fruit,” he explained. “But if there’s a lot of rain or there are quality issues, like there were in Oregon a couple of years ago, then there might be more demand for watermelons from California.”
Source: Fresh Plaza