Why watermelons are so expensive right now
Spring may have arrived, but high prices should steer the savvy shopper away from Australia's favourite warm weather fruit.
Whole watermelons are currently selling for $34 each at Woolworths stores.
They aren't that much cheaper at Coles, where a whole fruit is selling for $28.
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At the time of publishing whole seedless watermelons were retailing for more than $34 each. Woolworths
The reason why is simple enough.
"We pay farmers the market price for their produce, which can vary throughout the year due to weather, seasonality, supply and demand," a Woolworths spokesperson said.
"Currently, we're paying a lot more to our suppliers for watermelon due to the reduced supply in the market and ongoing bad weather in key growing regions.
But it's also just the wrong time of year.
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"Watermelon is not currently in peak season impacting the availability of the produce," the Woolworths spokesperson said.
"We operate in a highly competitive market and we're always working to strike the right balance so suppliers receive a fair market price and our customers have access to affordable fresh produce."
The peak watermelon growing season is between December and May, which is also the peak watermelon-eating season.
Prices should drop by then.
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