January 31, 2001

Cool Temperatures in Central America May Reduce Melon Production Prospects

Cool temperatures during the current growing season have raised the prospect of back-to-back years of unfavorable January weather for melon producers in parts of Central American, as frigid temperatures extended across south-central Guatemala into Honduras during the first 20 days of January 2001. Abnormally cold temperatures in January 2000 created development problems for melon, and early indications suggest this year’s erratic rain and temperature pattern may have a similar impact. Reduced melon production would likely result in reduced exports, which have been the driving force behind the region's recent production expansion.

Unusual Weather
The 2000 rainy season (May-October) was followed by abnormally dry and chilly conditions in parts of Central America, while other parts have had too much rain. Most of El Salvador and Guatemala recorded above normal-rainfall in December 2000, and then rain was recorded in center-east Guatemala and western Honduras for the first 10 days of January 2001. The Pacific coast areas suddenly lapsed into rainfall totals less than 50 percent of normal from January 1^st through the 10^th, followed by 10 days of better than 400 percent of normal rainfall.

Background
Most of the region plants melon and watermelon in November, with harvest occurring in May. In Honduras, the ideal temperature for melons is 28 to 34 degrees Celsius, with the crucial period of the growing season occurring from November to April. Last year, Honduran cantaloupe and watermelon producers reported sub-10 degree Celsius temperatures in early January 2000, followed by another round of similar temperatures starting in mid-January.  That cool spell led to pest problems in the Choluteca and Valle states, two of the country’s foremost melon producers, where fields are generally drip-irrigated from wells or the Choluteca River. The resulting undersized melons made marketing, particularly for export, quite difficult. In Guatemala, the bulk of the melons are non-irrigated, making the crop even more susceptable to the vagaries of weather. The Pacific coast states of Escuintla, Suchitepequez, and Sacatepequez, along with inland state of Zacapa, produce most of Guatemala's melons.

For more information, please contact Ron White with the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division on (202) 690-0137. email: whiter@fas.usda.gov