Weekly prices have been updated at EastFruit. Watermelons are now sold at twice the price compared to the same week last year. The effect of low supply and good demand is in place. A kilogram of watermelon is priced at GEL0.70 ($0.27) on Georgian wholesale markets. Same time last year, the price was GEL0.30/kg ($0.11/kg).
Generally, at least 80% of Georgian watermelons are produced in the Kakheti region. It has been reported to EastFruit that the supply volume should be low this year. Many farmers in Kakheti have switched from watermelons to wheat. The reason behind this move lies within the prices – last year wheat prices were good, hence the culture attracted significant attention among the Georgian farmers.
Watermelon imports also played a huge role. Earlier, EastFruit wrote about the strong demand for watermelon imports in Georgia. It was highlighted that import prices had gone up significantly. Imports volumes were high in May, but high prices and trade disruptions such as Iran banning exports, had an impact in June – monthly import volume was reduced by 40% in year-on-year terms.
Demand is said to be good, of course, economic recovery from the Covid pandemic and the influx of russian citizens are at play. Soon watermelons from western Georgia are expected to appear on the market, this will probably put downward pressure on the prices. Overall, 2023 for the Georgian watermelon is rated positively, especially for early suppliers.
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