Eleven melon marketers from the French department of Tarn-et-Garonne, in the south-west of the country, have signed a charter, along with the chamber of agriculture, the FDSEA of Tarn-et-Garonne and the melon union of Quercy, agreeing not to import melons between 20 June to 1 October each year, in order to avoid a clash between local and overseas production.
“Our aim is to preserve melon production in Tarn-et-Garonne,” commented the FDSEA’s Patrick Lombrail. “It is a true heritage for our department and affects a large number of farmers.”
According to Mr Lombrail, all shippers in the department have been contacted and urged to stop importing melons from Spain and Morocco during Tarn-et-Garonne’s main production period.
