10 World’s Biggest Watermelon-Producing Countries
10 World’s Biggest Watermelon-Producing Countries– Based
on the FAO Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) in 2024, there are 10 World’s Biggest
watermelon-producing countries in 2022. These countries certainly have their
own preferences for watermelon plants. The fruit is sweet, crunchy, refreshing,
and its taste is a very lovely dream of the consumers.
Physically, watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a type of creeping plant that is widely cultivated throughout the world. Taxonomically, watermelon plants are included in the Division: Spermatophyta; Subdivisions: Angiosperms; Class: Dicotyledonae; Order: Cucurbitales; Family: Cucurbitaceae; Genus: Citrullus; Species: Citrullus lanatus. Watermelon is an annual fruit plant that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family so that it has a close relationship with other similar plants such as melon (Cucumis melo L.), chayote (Sechium edule), Calabash (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol) Standl.), pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Dutch ex Poir), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).
Watermelon cultivation has been carried out for a long time ago. Historically, wild watermelon seeds have been found at the site of prehistoric Libya Uan Muhuggiag. There is also evidence of the discovery of watermelon seeds in the tombs of Pharaohs in Egypt. Until now, watermelon cultivation has spread to various parts of the world. They cultivate this plant because the fruit produced has a taste that is liked by all human beings. Commonly, there are some popular watermelon cultivars/ varieties. Many seed companies released some popular cultivars of watermelon in the world, namely Crimson Sweet, Sugar baby, Orange Crisp, Golden Midget Watermelon, Amarillo Watermelon, Charleston Gray, Farmers Wonderful.
The World’s Production,
Harvested Areas, and Yied of Watermelon From 1980 to 2022
|
Years |
World’s Harvested Areas |
World’s Production of Watermelons |
Yield / Productivity |
|
(Hectares) |
(Tons) |
(Tons / Hectare) |
|
|
1980 |
1,910,505 |
26,406,813 |
13.82 |
|
1981 |
1,929,646 |
27,720,834 |
14.37 |
|
1982 |
2,034,636 |
28,749,585 |
14.13 |
|
1983 |
2,022,311 |
28,837,337 |
14.26 |
|
1984 |
2,060,209 |
29,572,949 |
14.35 |
|
1985 |
2,359,820 |
35,304,287 |
14.96 |
|
1986 |
2,403,910 |
35,614,953 |
14.82 |
|
1987 |
2,529,865 |
38,947,629 |
15.40 |
|
1988 |
2,433,570 |
37,556,799 |
15.43 |
|
1989 |
2,336,817 |
34,959,232 |
14.96 |
|
1990 |
2,111,636 |
34,869,745 |
16.51 |
|
1991 |
2,194,802 |
35,076,230 |
15.98 |
|
1992 |
2,227,229 |
36,298,250 |
16.30 |
|
1993 |
2,251,716 |
38,250,482 |
16.99 |
|
1994 |
2,214,555 |
38,396,780 |
17.34 |
|
1995 |
2,333,914 |
41,629,490 |
17.84 |
|
1996 |
2,454,035 |
47,640,784 |
19.41 |
|
1997 |
2,559,660 |
59,830,049 |
23.37 |
|
1998 |
2,831,828 |
61,283,263 |
21.64 |
|
1999 |
3,007,489 |
73,244,540 |
24.35 |
|
2000 |
3,151,652 |
76,682,625 |
24.33 |
|
2001 |
3,260,864 |
83,457,943 |
25.59 |
|
2002 |
3,309,783 |
90,454,623 |
27.33 |
|
2003 |
3,444,898 |
88,569,265 |
25.71 |
|
2004 |
3,239,654 |
88,212,496 |
27.23 |
|
2005 |
3,251,725 |
91,175,032 |
28.04 |
|
2006 |
3,338,552 |
93,645,586 |
28.05 |
|
2007 |
3,227,256 |
86,712,249 |
26.87 |
|
2008 |
3,145,372 |
89,261,586 |
28.38 |
|
2009 |
3,164,891 |
91,507,311 |
28.91 |
|
2010 |
3,205,998 |
93,530,533 |
29.17 |
|
2011 |
3,205,294 |
94,572,802 |
29.51 |
|
2012 |
3,129,899 |
96,155,754 |
30.72 |
|
2013 |
3,153,614 |
97,531,790 |
30.93 |
|
2014 |
3,166,594 |
99,217,602 |
31.33 |
|
2015 |
3,177,005 |
100,991,423 |
31.79 |
|
2016 |
3,203,404 |
102,395,019 |
31.96 |
|
2017 |
3,098,492 |
100,949,292 |
32.58 |
|
2018 |
3,110,357 |
100,959,810 |
32.46 |
|
2019 |
3,072,271 |
101,841,525 |
33.15 |
|
2020 |
3,002,429 |
101,916,818 |
33.94 |
|
2021 |
3,031,544 |
101,634,720 |
33.53 |
|
2022 |
2,916,449 |
99,957,595 |
34.27 |
|
Source : FAOSTAT, 2024 |
|||
In the world’s statistic of watermelon, the world’s
production of watermelon from 1980 to 2022 has increased substantially. In
1980, the world’s production of watermelon reached 26 million tons with
harvested areas around 1.9 million hectares (ha). Meanwhile, in 2022, the
world’s production of watermelon achieved 99 million tons with harvested areas
around 2.9 million hectares (ha). Based on the productivity/yield, it also
increased from 13 tons/hectare in 1980 and become 34 tons / hectare (ha).
The Production of
Watermelon Based on Continent in 2022
|
Continent |
Production of Watermelon in 2022 |
|
(Tons) |
|
|
Africa |
7,187,997 |
|
Americas |
6,645,916 |
|
Asia |
80,807,659 |
|
Europe |
5,132,523 |
|
Oceania |
183,501 |
|
Source:
FAOSTAT, 2024 |
|
Specifically, when viewed from the distribution, the Asian continent is still the main region of watermelon production with a total harvest of 80 million tons (79% of total worldwide watermelon production), followed by the African continent with 7.1 million tons (7.5% of total worldwide production) and the Americas with production reaching 6.6 million tons (6.9% of the worldwide watermelon production). When viewed from the level of producer countries, there are 10 World’s Biggest Watermelon-Producing Countries in 2022. This data is obtained from the FAO Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) in 2022.
Rank Table of the 10 World’s Biggest Watermelon Producing Countries in 2022
|
Ranks |
Countries |
Production of Watermelon in 2022 |
|
(Tons) |
||
|
1 |
China,
mainland |
60,386,121 |
|
2 |
Türkiye |
3,394,783 |
|
3 |
India |
3,308,000 |
|
4 |
Algeria |
2,022,892 |
|
5 |
Brazil |
1,912,909 |
|
6 |
Russian
Federation |
1,635,405 |
|
7 |
Pakistan |
1,578,259 |
|
8 |
United
States of America |
1,493,181 |
|
9 |
Senegal |
1,492,625 |
|
10 |
Uzbekistan |
1,439,370 |
|
Source
: FAOSTAT, 2024 |
||
Brief Description of the 10 World’s Biggest Watermelon Producing Countries
1. China
China is the World’s Biggest watermelon-producing country.
According to data from FAO, the watermelon production of Mao Zedong’s country
of origin reached 60.3 million tons in 2022. This large amount of production
certainly makes China the world’s largest watermelon-producing country.
Geographically, there are several central areas of watermelon cultivation in
China which include Shandong, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia,
Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Hubei, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Anhui,
Sichuan, Shaanxi, Shanghai, Hainan, Zhejiang, and Beijing. Culturally,
watermelons symbolize luck, prosperity, and good fortune and it is usually
eaten during Lunar New Year.
2. Türkiye
Türkiye is the 2nd world’s biggest watermelon-producing
Country in the World. According to data from FAO, watermelon production reached
3.4 million tons. Watermelon plants are widely cultivated in the Antalya
region, Türkiye. Furthermore, in Türkiye, there are The
Diyarbakır Watermelon and Culture Festival which promote the quality of the
local fruit especially watermelon.
3. India
India is the 3rd world’s biggest watermelon
producing country. According to data from FAO, watermelon production reached 3.3
million tons. In Mahatma Gandhi’s home country, there are several central areas
of watermelon cultivation. The region includes the states of Uttar
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya
Pradesh. According to data from the National Horticulture Board (NHB)
in 2018, in India, the largest watermelon-producing state is Uttar Pradesh with
production reaching 619 thousand tons, followed by Andhra Pradesh with a
production of 360 thousand tons, and Karnataka with a production of 336
thousand tons.
4. Algeria
Algeria is the 4th Biggest Watermelon
Producing Country in the World. According to data from FAO, watermelon
production reached 2 million tons. In the African region, Algeria became the
world’s largest watermelon producer from the African continent in 2019.
5. Brazil
Brazil is the 5th world’s biggest
watermelon producing country. According to data from FAO, watermelon production
reached 1.9 million tons. In Brazil, there are several central areas for
watermelon cultivation. The area includes the states of Rio Grande do
Sul, Sao Paulo, Goias, Bahia and Tocantins. Some types of
watermelon that are popular in Brazil are Omaru Yamato, Charleston
Gray, Fairfax, Crimson Sweet, Perola, and Embrapa.
6. Russia
Russia is the 6th Biggest watermelon
producing country in the world. According to data from FAO, watermelon
production reached 1.6 million tons. In this country, the main region in Russia
that produces watermelon is Astrakhan City, a city located in the
southern part of Russia.
7. Pakistan
Pakistan is the 7th biggest producer of Watermelon in 2022.
According to FAO Statistical Corporate Database, the production of watermelon
from Senegal reached 1.5 million tons. Geographically, the main regions of
watermelon cultivation in Pakistan located in Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).
8. The United States of America
The United States of America is the 8th world’s
biggest watermelon producing country. According to data from FAO, watermelon
production reached 1.5 million tons. The states in the United States
with the largest watermelon production are Arizona, California,
Delaware, Florida, and Texas. In total, watermelon
production from these 5 states accounts for 69% of the United States’ total
national watermelon production.
9. Senegal
Senegal is the 9th biggest producer of Watermelon in 2022.
According to FAO Statistical Corporate Database, the production of watermelon
from Senegal reached 1.4 million tons. Geographically, region of Niayes is one
of the main areas of watermelon cultivation in Senegal.
10. Uzbekistan
The Summary of 10 World’s Biggest Watermelon Producing Countries in 2022
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