Melons Price Trend and Forecast 2026-2027

Melons, covering cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon, are sold almost entirely as fresh fruit. World output of cantaloupes and other melons was 28.25 million tonnes in 2024, led by China at 13.22 million, India at 1.54 million, Kazakhstan at 1.50 million and Turkey at 1.48 million. United States cantaloupe output was about 481,000 tonnes in 2025, with California supplying 67 percent.

Boston terminal cantaloupe prices were USD 1,268 per tonne in January, USD 1,075 in February, USD 937 in March, USD 1,157 in April, USD 1,047 in May, USD 1,819 in both June and July, USD 1,047 in August and USD 1,378 in September. Shipping-point cantaloupe in the San Joaquin Valley fell to USD 386 per tonne in August before recovering to USD 744 by mid-September.

Melons Prices in October 2026

Boston terminal cantaloupe was about USD 1,433 per tonne in mid-October 2026, up 4.0 percent from September, while honeydew was about USD 1,837.

• Desert virus losses: Whitefly-borne virus cut Yuma and Imperial yields by 30 to 40 percent in June, so the region may ship under 8 million cartons against a normal 15 to 16 million, and cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon shipments trailed 2025 through July.
• California supply shift: California harvest reached full capacity by July and prices eased, then cool weather, insect and virus pressure and Labor Day demand lifted shipping-point prices from about USD 386 per tonne in August to USD 744 by mid-September.
• Spanish oversupply: Castilla-La Mancha melon farm-gate prices averaged about USD 213 per tonne for 2026, below a profitability reference near USD 336, as roughly 520,000 tonnes on 10,000 hectares caused oversupply and an early end to the season.
• Seasonal handover: Offshore supply from Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica normally takes over from California in November, while Brazil's August exports of 8,800 tonnes rose 3 percent, and wet weather has favoured downy mildew in Central America.

Supplier news: Melon 1 shipped about 300,000 display bins of watermelon between July and September and is expanding fall acreage in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida to supply through early December. Brazilian exporters opened the 2026/27 campaign in August with 8,800 tonnes, 48 percent to the United Kingdom, adding European supply, while Texas growers report labour costs squeezing margins over the long term.

Melons Price Forecast for 2026

Supply and demand should stay moderately tight through H2 2026, with the growing-season weather running a bit tighter than usual across several producing regions. Spain and Mexico both kept the fresh-market demand steady through H1, and that's likely to continue. Turkey's export volumes kept building as well, while China's enormous domestic production base kept it the most affordable of the four. None of the four markets we track is showing signs of genuine disruption heading into the back half of the year.

Buyers should keep in mind that the regional trade-flow pattern limits how much substitution is possible between origins during a shortfall, since the logistics of shipping a highly perishable fruit across longer distances rarely make economic sense outside of genuinely extreme price dislocations. That's worth building into any longer-range planning rather than assuming current conditions will simply persist unchanged.

The competition for acreage with other warm-season crops bears watching too, since growers weighing next season's planting decisions compare expected returns across several options rather than committing to melons regardless of price.

What could push prices higher? A weaker-than-expected harvest in any of the major producing regions, or stronger-than-usual fresh-market demand. What could pull them lower? A stronger harvest than currently expected across the major producing regions.

For the Quarter Ending June 2026

Melons Prices Q2 2026:

• China: USD 511/MT
• Turkey: USD 663/MT
• Spain: USD 845/MT
• Mexico: USD 778/MT

Melons Prices in China

China's melon growers saw firm domestic demand this quarter, and the gain came to 1.6%, USD 503/MT to USD 511. That kept China comfortably the most affordable of the four markets given its scale of production.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q2 2026 in China?

The domestic demand stayed firm, and the growing-season weather ran a bit tighter than usual across the harvest window.

Melons Prices in Turkey

Turkey climbed 1.7% to USD 663/MT, the regional export demand continuing to hold steady through the period.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q2 2026 in Turkey?

The regional export demand held steady, and that alone explains most of the move here.

Melons Prices in Spain

USD 845/MT. That's where Spain landed in Q2, up 1.9% from USD 829 in Q1. The European fresh-market demand stayed firm, and the tighter growing-season conditions pushed things higher.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q2 2026 in Spain?

The European fresh-market demand held its ground, and the tighter growing-season conditions are really what's keeping the Spanish premium as wide as it is.

Melons Prices in Mexico

Mexico gained 1.8% to USD 778/MT, the North American export demand continuing to build through the period.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q2 2026 in Mexico?

The North American export demand kept building, and the growing-season conditions firmed alongside it.

For the Quarter Ending March 2026

Melons Prices Q1 2026:

• China: USD 503/MT
• Turkey: USD 652/MT
• Spain: USD 829/MT
• Mexico: USD 764/MT

Melons Prices in China

China gained 1.6% to USD 503/MT, the demand firming as the year opened.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q1 2026 in China?

The domestic demand firmed as the year opened, and the growing-season outlook tightened right alongside it.

Melons Prices in Turkey

Turkish melons rose 1.7% to USD 652/MT, the regional export demand firming with the new year.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q1 2026 in Turkey?

The regional export demand firmed with the new year, tracking the fresh-market buying closely.

Melons Prices in Spain

Spanish melons climbed 2.0% to USD 829/MT, the European fresh-market demand staying firm through the quarter.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q1 2026 in Spain?

The European fresh-market demand stayed firm, and the growing-season conditions firmed alongside it.

Melons Prices in Mexico

Mexican melons rose 1.9% to USD 764/MT, the North American export demand building through the quarter.

Why did the price of Melons change in Q1 2026 in Mexico?

The North American export demand built through the quarter, tracking the fresh-market buying closely.

Quarterly Melons Price Trends

The global average climbed steadily across the window, from USD 650/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 700 by Q2 2026, a net gain of about 7.7%. Every quarter posted a gain here, reflecting the tighter growing-season conditions and the steady fresh-market demand across every market we track, with the pace of the gains picking up somewhat in the most recent two quarters. That kind of steady, uninterrupted climb is worth noting, since it stands in contrast to how choppy some other commodities in this space have looked over the same period.

What was Melons Price in 2025?

2025 was a steady year for melons. Starting near USD 650/MT in Q1, the global average finished 2025 at USD 674, a gain of about 3.7%. The fresh-market demand held consistent all year across every market we track, before the pace of gains picked up further once the tighter 2026 growing season got underway. The consistency of that pattern across all four regions makes this one of the more predictable produce markets we track. Buyers who track this market closely tend to view that steady annual pattern as the baseline against which any future quarter's move should be judged.

Melons Prices in China in 2025

Chinese prices moved from about USD 480/MT in Q1 2025 to USD 495 by Q4, up roughly 3.1%. The domestic demand held steady all year, and China stayed the most affordable of the four markets throughout.

Melons Prices in Turkey in 2025

Turkish prices climbed from USD 620/MT in Q1 to USD 641 by Q4, a 3.4% gain, tracking the steady regional export demand.

Melons Prices in Spain in 2025

Spanish prices rose from USD 780/MT in Q1 to USD 813 by Q4, up 4.2%, the highest absolute price throughout the four markets on the European fresh-market demand.

Melons Prices in Mexico in 2025

Mexican prices moved from USD 720/MT in Q1 to USD 750 by Q4, a 4.2% gain, as the North American export demand kept building through the year.

How We Can Help

Expert Market Research: Your Source for Real-Time Melons Price Intelligence

We keep a continuous eye on the melon prices wherever they're grown or consumed at scale, tracing causation through the growing-season weather across the major producing regions, the fresh-market demand, and the acreage-planting decisions growers make each season. Our analysts track the regional trade-flow pattern closely, given how limited substitution is between origins during any single region's shortfall. We also flag any material shift in the underlying feedstock or trade-logistics conditions as soon as it becomes apparent. Need pricing data, bespoke market analysis, or procurement advisory? Reach out to our team.