Watermelon prices set to soar as imports dry up
Thursday, 17 December 2020
Shoppers should prepare to shell out more for their watermelons this summer as imports dry up.
New Zealand has just 20 commercial melon growers and imports of the fruit are vital to meet demand over the summer months.
But biosecurity and logistical problems have put the brakes on shipments from key growing areas and prices are expected to be about 20 per cent higher this season.
All imports of fresh cucurbit – a plant group including pumpkin, zucchini, and cucumber as well as watermelon – from Queensland were suspended last December due to the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus.
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The ban – which contributed to soaring prices for the fruit last summer, including a $46 melon found at a New World supermarket – remains in place.
Supply was squeezed even further when imports from Tonga were temporarily halted after fruit fry larvae were found in a shipment at the Ports of Auckland in October.
The Ministry for Primary Industries gave temporary approval for imports from Tonga to resume – under strict conditions – earlier this month.
However, the first shipment of 10 containers was cancelled after trucks organised by Tonga’s Ministry of Agriculture failed to collect the produce from farms, RNZ reported.
A Countdown spokeswoman said the supermarket chain has a limited supply of Northland watermelons which are currently available at $6 a kilogram in its North Island stores.
In a good growing year, the average watermelon weighs three to five kilos but fruit that size may be hard to find this year.
“Unfortunately they are smaller than usual due to a dry spring this, year but we'll have additional supply from our growers in the Bay of Plenty in our stores from next week,” the spokeswoman said.
Foodstuffs spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said the New Zealand watermelon season was just beginning and more supply would trickle into its stores in the coming weeks.
”The watermelon season and full supply gets into swing post-Christmas and into February, so customers will see consistent supply and better value on their watermelons for their summer barbies.”
While local growers produce a total of about 4800 tonnes a year of all melons, New Zealand imported 201 tonnes of watermelon from Tonga and a further 2138 tonnes from Australia in the year to August 2020, according to Stats NZ.