Fresh Watermelon Harvest Starts With Delay and Reduced Expected Yield in Adana, Turkey, Due to Adverse Climate Conditions

Adana is the second biggest watermelon producing city in Turkey where production was around 700K MT in 2022. This figure represents 20% of the watermelon production in Turkey where annual national production was 3,500K MT in 2022.

The 2023 harvest started with a delay in Adana due to unfavorable climate conditions and unseasonably cold weather. The harvest is expected to continue until September with an expected production yield in 2023 of around 550K MT in Adana. The declining production area from 11,000 hectares to 8,000 hectares, in addition to the cold weather, are the primary reasons behind the drop in the expected production.