Syngenta, an Anglo-Swiss agribusiness, has been testing a new type of watermelon in California these past few months, and the effort has been quite a hit. The melon is seedless, about the size of a cantaloupe, and, unlike larger varieties of the same fruit, has a consistently sweet taste throughout. Shoppers are prepared to pay $3.99 each for the fruit, three to four times what it would cost per kilo compared with standard watermelons. Now, NewProduce Network, a marketing venture set up by Syngenta and three other companies, has launched its melons in 190 retail outlets in northern California and parts of Seattle, Washington. If sales take off as the company hopes, fancy new varieties of cantaloupe and tomato, bred for their distinctive size, shape and taste, could follow within a year.
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