Melon refers to an annual herb that is mostly grown in subtropical, Mediterranean, or warm and temperate climates. The fruit, also called melon, has a distinctive musky aroma but the rind, as well as the flavor, depends on the variety being grown. Melons are mostly eaten fresh even if some varieties can be cooked or processed to extract melon oil. In California, the annual harvest starts in the Imperial Valley in early to mid-May moves north through the San Joaquin Valley.

 

This market report includes all the varieties grown and consumed in California (Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Watermelon…).

 

China produces more than half of the global crop, Turkey, and Iran come respectively second and third. The United-States ranked 5th in 2019 in melon production with California accounting for about 40% of total U.S export value. In the golden State, the counties of Fresno, San Joaquin and Kern produce more than 80% of the overall annual crop.

 

With more than 80% of the melon export going to Canada, the country represents the overwhelming majority of melon California export, before Mexico. However, domestic consumption remains dominant and only a bit more than 10% of the crop is exported outside of the U.S.

 

Production in California has gone down over the past few years and growers face various challenges. First, harvest labor remains a major challenge for the industry as melons are hand harvested. In 2021, the lack of skilled employees to harvest the crop was reported by several farmers. While conveyor belts that trail behind trucks are widely used, mechanical harvesters have not been widely adopted by producers as ripe melons may not withstand machine handling.

 

The second challenge is the rising cost of shipping supplies and transportation. Prices of bins, pallets, cardboard and paper more than doubled in 2021; meanwhile, producers had to face higher costs for transportation.

 

In California, more than 90% of watermelons are seedless and whole watermelons held onto more than 80% sales share in 2020-21, despite the rise of fresh-cut watermelon. On the organic side, sales registered double digit growth in California, where some 90% of California shoppers buy organic.