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Rio Grande do Norte - Principal Exporter of Melon in Brazil
Brazil
Wednesday 09 April 2008
Rio Grande do Norte is the second main fresh fruit exporter of Brazil, being melon the main product," stated the president of the Executive Phytosanitary Committee of Rio Grande do Norte (Coex), Francisco de Paula Segundo. The state in the Northeast of Brazil is responsible for 90% of the Brazilian melon production. Last year, Rio Grande do Norte shipped 204,000 tonnes of fruit to the foreign market, being 80% to Europe. He added that melon represents 50% of the state's fruit exports.
According to de Paula, one of the main reasons for the state to be such a large producer of melon is that it can produce the fruit all year round. "We have very much sun and little water. The presence of constant sun on the crop makes the fruit ripen faster. Our production is as much as two and a half times as fast as that of our competitors. This is one of our differentials and is an attractive to the foreign market," he said.
Most of the sector producers are small and medium enterprises. Fruit growing generates 80,000 jobs in the whole of the productive chain. "We are a great fruit window to the world," said de Paula.
According to de Paula, one of the main reasons for the state to be such a large producer of melon is that it can produce the fruit all year round. "We have very much sun and little water. The presence of constant sun on the crop makes the fruit ripen faster. Our production is as much as two and a half times as fast as that of our competitors. This is one of our differentials and is an attractive to the foreign market," he said.
Most of the sector producers are small and medium enterprises. Fruit growing generates 80,000 jobs in the whole of the productive chain. "We are a great fruit window to the world," said de Paula.
