Apparently the Japanese are hurting as well on the grapefruit issue. Not sure where they are on watermelon.
TOKYO — In the glory days, not all that long ago, Florida grapefruit farmers built their lives around Japan.
And the Japanese stayed true, enjoying grapefruit for breakfast, for dessert, swirled in cocktails, individually wrapped as gifts, even saving the peels for aromatic nightly baths.
Japan has one-third the population of the United States but consumed as much or more Florida grapefruit. Among imports in a typical Tokyo produce aisle, it was second only to bananas.
Now Florida’s grapefruit market is in shambles.
Rampant citrus greening has slashed the state’s already lean supply to its tiniest figure since trade opened in the early 1970s.
In the 2003-04 season, Japan imported 12.1 million cartons of Florida grapefruit.
In 2016-17, 1.58 million cartons.
https://www.tampabay.com/data/2018/03/14/as-floridas-grapefruit-supply-dwindles-japanese-customers-lose-interest/