Last week, the yellow Charentais melon was in crisis in France, according to the interprofessional melon association (AIM), with supply comfortably outstripping demand.
'We are in a state of crisis due to the extremely bad climatic conditions,' the AIM's Bernard Miozzo told AFP last week.
Fruit planted in the May to June period were two to three weeks late, he said, while those planted at the end of June or beginning of July had arrived on time.
This resulted in a daily supply of 7,000-8,000 tonnes, well over the 5,000-5,500 tonnes a day that the market was capable of absorbing.
The melon's predicament, with prices 15 per cent below the five-year average, fit the French ministry of agriculture's conditions for a crisis situation.
Producers and distributors have therefore been able to meet to organise promotional campaigns and more prominent displays on shelves.
In addition, retailers may reportedly be compelled to reduce their margins in order to ameliorate the situation.
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