By Clint Thompson
Production costs are up for Southeast watermelon growers. That’s created concern for producers with harvest season just around the corner for much of the region.
“I think what’s on the forefront of everybody’s minds is the challenges with costs we’re seeing already,” said George Szczepanski, executive director of the National Watermelon Association. “As a result from the war (with Iran), diesel prices are in a place where they’ve never been. Fuel prices are high. Fuel prices are the easy thing to see and quantify right away, but we’re getting reports up here in my region about, those guys are still earlier in the process, and they say they’re getting it really bad in the price for plastic.
“Right now, we’re really just urging for collaboration through the supply chain with retail partners, with supply chain partners. We’ve got to see some flexibility beyond the agreements that were already made to account for the increased costs, so our growers aren’t losing money.”
Increased Consumer Costs?
The concern with increased production costs is that consumers will see increased costs at the grocery stores and farmstands. Fortunately for watermelon producers, it is hard to imagine a Memorial Day or Fourth of July celebration without a deliciously sweet watermelon. That plays into the favor of producers in Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
“I’m biased, but I couldn’t imagine Memorial Day without a watermelon or a fourth of July without a watermelon,” Szczepanski said. “We really have the advantage of being able to say, ‘If everything in the produce aisle is increasing in costs, think of watermelon as something as an affordable way to stretch it and feed your whole family with it.’
“It goes a long way. We’re that affordably priced sweet fruit. That’s a good thing when people are watching their wallet.”
Szczepanski estimated that there will be limited volume coming out of Florida for the next couple of weeks.