Analysis of strategic industry planning and organizational opportunities for Mexican cantaloupe producers.

摘要

Cantaloupe producers in Mexico's Lagunera region harvest and sell their melons in the Mexican domestic market in June, July and August. These producers and the larger Mexican cantaloupe industry have been economically battered in recent yr by increasing competition in the global cantaloupe market, Salmonella contamination, low per-capita consumption relative to US consumers and historic supply gluts, which result in low prices and profits. A programming model of the region's cantaloupe industry was used to evaluate impacts of strategic production planning, storage, or flow-to-market supply management. A 20% reduction in regional cantaloupe supply would increase growers' profits and release land for use in other cropping activities. Cantaloupe storage and strategic production planning would increase producers' profits but would require costly infrastructure investments. Organization of the regions' cantaloupe producers to achieve orderly and strategically planned production and marketing would not require costly infrastructure investments and would increase growers' profits. US marketing orders for fruit, vegetable and specialty crops are models under which Lagunera region cantaloupe industry planning and coordination could be effected. US marketing orders have allowed producers to manage supply, promote their product to influence per-capita consumption, and deal with product quality and reliability threats.