Melon exports are increasing (+ 5%) and producers are focusing on premium to conquer new markets

The summer one, with netted rind and orange flesh in the north; the winter one, yellow outside and light inside in the south. The Italy of melons is historically divided into two, both as typologies and as seasonality: in the Neapolitan cribs the fruit and vegetable statues always show inviting light melons, inevitable on the Christmas tables of the south, while from Tuscany up the melon arrives together with the first ones hot and reaches the peak of production between July and August. This polarization, deeply rooted, reflects the wide spread of melon in Italy: with its over 21 thousand hectares, it is the third horticultural species by surface cultivated after the tomato and the artichoke (Istat source), and each area has its own typical features. But now something is changing: the producers are focusing on new typologies that bring everyone together and that support the growth in consumption (9.5 kg per capita per year, according to Ismea), ensuring national production all ...