Because of the horrendous weather in the Mediterranean area, melons from France, Spain and to a certain extent Morocco are finishing earlier than was forecast and therefore the European market was ripe for the first arrivals from Brazil this week.

Brazilian exporters took the decision to delay sendings by two weeks this year after the disastrous overlap with European supplies at the beginning of last season. The first vessel hit Dover on August 20 in 2001, in 2002 the Belgium Reefer docked at the Kent port on September 9 – having been delayed further by weather problems on route.

Around 50,000 pallets are expected in Dover in the next seven and a half months, which roughly translates into 40,000 tonnes and 25 million units of winter melons for the UK consumer.

There are no quality problems reported and the market is proving a far more stable proposition in 2002. 'Demand and prices are far healthier than at this time last year,' said Brian Madderson, md of Dover stevedores George Hammond. 'The decision to send later has proved a sound one – last season Brazilian melons ran into the back of good quality Spanish fruit and prices were at a low level.' A strong retail market led to Brazilian melons being put on the shelves on the same price ticket as Spanish, which once distribution costs were factored in, meant an unprofitable start to the campaign.

'It is an entirely different situation this year,' said Madderson. 'European supplies have all but dried up and the Brazilian fruit that has come in this week has already been sucked through the system at much better prices.' As the UK consumes around 45 per cent of all the Brazilan melons eaten in northern Europe, the performance of this market is understandably followed hawkishly by exporters and importers alike.

A second vessel, the Bothnian Reefer, arrived in Dover on Tuesday, and 100 trucks of melons were dispatched, as the season quickly got into full swing with melons for this weekend's shoppers. 'We will now have one vessel a week until the end of December,' said Madderson, 'three vessels every four weeks brought in by Lauritzen Cool and one a month by Seatrade Reefers. Next week, Pittsburgh comes in with Seatrade, and the next vessel will arrive on the 24th, with Lauritzen Cool.' This will then slow to a vessel every 10 days between January and mid-March and the season will end with fortnightly vessels into mid-April. I expect to see the season last to roughly the same time as this year, when the last vessel arrived on April 12.

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