Melon production on the French West Indian island of Guadeloupe has been affected in much the same way as bananas, due to falling ash from last month’s eruption of the volcano on Montserrat, according to Végétable.
Damage to the crop, with some fruits showing defects on the skin and some plants being completely asphyxiated, has been estimated at 50 per cent of the production capacity.
Unlike the situation with Guadeloupe’s bananas, exports of melons have not been interrupted, thanks to the careful selection of fruit on the field and in the packhouse, which has enabled the continued supply of smaller volumes.
Although the melon’s vegetative cycle is much shorter than the banana’s, and production should therefore return to normal sooner, Guadeloupe is currently experiencing an extremely dry period, according to Végétable, with irrigation stretched to the limit.
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