Heatwaves could threaten watermelon production

Watermelon prices could increase if dry and hot weather conditions continued, said Hennie Souer, a watermelon trader at the Tshwane Market in Gauteng.

Souer said a lack of water and high temperatures were serious issues for watermelon farmers in the Limpopo and Free State areas, as production mostly depended on rainfall because only 20% of watermelon crops in these two areas were irrigated. He added that this year had been very dry so far.

hot weather will affect production

Farmers in the northern parts of Limpopo planted from May until the end of July, while producers in the western Free State, which included the Hoopstad and Bothaville regions, planted from the middle of October to the first week of December. As such, farmers in the Free State were still busy planting for the 2018/2019 season. Farmers in Limpopo, however, had already planted more watermelon for the upcoming season compared with the previous season.

“The crops are supposed to be ready by the [week between] Christmas and New Year, but if it doesn’t rain by the last week of November, the watermelon will not make it to market for the [festive] season,” said Souer.

There were also more sales opportunities for watermelon that reached the market by April.

“My experience is that if you plant in January, your crop will be available for market by April. By that time, the market is beginning to die down. Consumers are already looking for winter fruit such as naartjies,” he said.

Souer added that the heatwave conditions experienced during October and November had resulted in some watermelon in areas such as Modimolle suffering sun damage.

This resulted in the discolouration of the fruit on the outside, despite the quality on the inside still being good. Consumers showed resistance to buying such fruit.

If the hot weather persisted, it would affect production, resulting in prices increasing from the current price of about R40/10kg watermelon.

“Another challenge is fuel prices affecting farmers’ profits. Transporting 3 000 watermelons from Swartwater to Tshwane Market costs about R15 000,” he said. – Siyanda Sishuba

Sindira Chetty ABOVE: If hot and dry weather persists in the watermelon producing regions of South Africa, it will result in reduced production and increased prices.