Melons Production in Australia (2019)

Overview

The melon industry brings in customers all year-round in Australia. Thus, this booming market is a favourite of Australian citizens. These quality melons such as watermelons, rockmelons and honeydew melons are typically used to provide sweet fresh treats. Moreover, they are also used in savoury recipes to enhance the taste.

Predominantly, these fruits are produced by Australian farmers to cater to the nation’s citizens. In fact, the most extensive production base includes seedless watermelons and green-fleshed honeydew melons. Some of the other types of fruits that are available are Piel de Sapo (Spanish melons) and yellow-skinned Candy melons.

Statistics

As of June 2019,

1. The supply per capita was recorded at 10.3 kg, based on the volume that was supplied.
2. Two hundred ninety-one thousand eighty-nine tonnes of these fruits were produced and simultaneously valued at $181 million.
3. As a part of their shopping trip, 50% of Australians purchased melons. This amounts to an average of 1.7 kg per grocery haul.
4. The wholesale value of the fruit supply of melons was recorded at $176 million. Out of this, $141 million was distributed through retail, and $35.2 million went into food service.

Fresh Melons International Trade

Australia is considered a net exporter of melons. As of June 2019, this nation successfully exported 21,455 melons. The rest of the figures are represented in the graph below, with the imports shown in negative tonnes.

These fruits are fleshy fruit that are members of the Cucurbitaceae family and are thought to have originated in Mexico and Central America. When ripe, the sweet juicy pulp is predominantly eaten fresh, however, the rind is sometimes preserved and seeds can be roasted as a snack or ground into an ingredient used in oils and sauces. These plants are grown as a ground vine and depending on the cultivar, the shape of the fruit may change from oblong to round, the rind from light green to dark green, the flesh from red to yellow and the seeds from white to yellow, brown or black. 

Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech)