Mexico’s watermelon-growing region Bahía de Banderas is closing its season with lower sales than expected, due to lower prices and U.S. companies protecting their own farmers, news website Enfoque Informativo reported.

Municipal rural development director Javier Barba told the website the price fall was a result of low temperatures and the fact U.S. companies stopped buying Mexican products to protect their own farmers, which had repercussions for local Mexican prices too.

He explained that 75% of farmers from the region finished the season in previous weeks while prices were higher at 4 Mexican pesos (US$0.33) per kilogram, while remaining farmers are now faced with a price of 1 Mexican peso per kilogram (US$0.083).

“We could not reach the top this season, in a year we thought we would go like a horse from the ranch (overcome the obstacles),” he was quoted as saying.

Barba said farmers had no choice but to sell anyway because storing or leaving the watermelons on plants were not options.

Bahía de Banderas is the country’s main watermelon-producing region, with competitors in the regions of Veracruz and Tabasco.

Photo: Flickr, La Grande Farmers' Market

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com