Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
3 min of reading 
7 comments 
The Largest Melon Farm in Brazil Operates Between Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, Cultivates 12 Thousand Hectares, Manages 25 Thousand Hectares in 14 Farms, Harvests 1 Million Melons a Day and Delivers About 300 Thousand Tons of Fresh Fruit That Support Exports from the Northeastern Sertão to the World.
Since 1995, when it began operations between Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, the Largest Melon Farm in Brazil has transformed the sertão into a highly productive area, with daily harvests that now total 1 million fruits and support regular exports of tropical fruits.
With 30 years of existence, Agrícola Famosa encompasses 25 thousand hectares of land, dedicating 12 thousand hectares to the direct cultivation of melons and watermelons, and, distributed across 14 farms, it reaches around 300 thousand tons of fresh fruit moving from the northeastern semi-arid region to different continents.
Scale That Impresses in the Semi-Arid Region
In the heart of the northeastern sertão, Agrícola Famosa’s routine resembles a large open-air industry. Every day, about 1 million melons leave the fields cultivated over 12 thousand hectares, the result of planning that combines dry climate, careful water use, and planting windows designed to maintain continuous harvests.
-
A rural producer from Urubici cries as he shows 50 tons of plums thrown on the ground because no one wanted to buy them, and in desperation, he records a video asking anyone to come to the property to pick the fruits before they rot.
-
Unable to pass through Hormuz, Brazil activated a plan B that uses Turkey as a gateway to the Middle East: the route through Gibraltar and the Mediterranean is longer and more expensive but ensures that chicken, beef, and corn continue to reach Arab markets.
-
You grew up hearing that the good coffee from Brazil goes all abroad and the bad coffee stays for Brazilians, but this story has completely changed, and the numbers show that in the 1980s, thirty percent of the coffee sold here was adulterated with corn and barley.
-
Engineer creates reforestation method that transforms small plots into dense forests in a few years using local biomass and can reduce environmental recovery costs.
The company manages 25 thousand hectares of land and organizes production across 14 farms, spread between Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte.
The combination of large planted area with constant harvests makes the operation an essential cog for internal supply and for export contracts.
Technology, Irrigation, and Precision Management
At the core of the Largest Melon Farm in Brazil, the difference lies not just in size but in the way of production.
Between Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará, the climate with little rain favors sweeter and more uniform fruits, as long as it is accompanied by calibrated irrigation and strict soil management.
Controlled irrigation systems, constant moisture monitoring, and careful soil management allow each hectare to be maximally utilized, maintaining high productivity even in areas traditionally marked by water scarcity.
The result is standardized melons, with the quality demanded by international buyers.
Own Logistics to Take the Melon Further
For the melons harvested in the sertão to arrive intact and fresh at distant markets, Agrícola Famosa invests in its own infrastructure.
A fleet of trucks, packaging centers, and sorting lines work in sequence right after harvesting, reducing losses and preserving quality until the final destination.
From the farm, the fruits quickly move to units where they are selected, standardized, and packaged.
This flow shortens the time between the field and shipping, which is crucial for the Largest Melon Farm in Brazil to serve supermarkets and distributors across different continents without compromising freshness.
Impact on Exports and the Prominence of the Northeast
With around 300 thousand tons of fresh fruit, Agrícola Famosa has established the Northeast as a reference in melon exports.
Large-scale production strengthens Brazil’s image in the global tropical fruit market and ensures a constant presence of northeastern melons in international shipments.
The operation helps stimulate local economies in Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, with ongoing work in the fields, irrigation, harvesting, and packaging.
And you, did you imagine that the northeastern sertão houses such an extensive structure for melon production or are you still surprised to see the reach of the Largest Melon Farm in Brazil?
Muito bom saber que temos esse potencial de produção. Mas preciso comentar que a reportagem ficou muito repetitiva, e informações importantes como nome das cidades onde se encontra a “maior fazenda de melões do Brasil” está localiza, um pouco que seja da história dos proprietários, a marca do melão, países e estados que ele é encontrado… Isso é importante numa reportagem. A sua parece ter sido escrita por um aluno do ensino fundamental II.
Era bom mencionar os municípios onde são produzidos esses frutos (melões). Dar crédito aos trabalhadores locais que produzem toda essa riqueza. Icapuí no Ceará é uma dessas cidades, onde os melões são cultivados.
Parabéns ao Nordeste mostrando que temos sim produtividade basta investimento de ponta.