According to the Junta de Andalusia's Observatory of Prices and Markets 2020/21 campaign monitoring report on protected horticultural crops corresponding to week 16 of this year, Almeria's watermelons and melons have achieved good prices at the beginning of their campaign.
According to the report, the first batches of watermelon are registering higher prices than last season, as the striped watermelon had an average price of € 0.57/kg, the average price of the mini watermelon stood at € 0.49/kg, and the black seedless watermelon was sold at an average of € 0.80/kg.
The Junta de Andalusia pointed out that there wasn't much production coming from third countries. "According to experts in the sector, the area planted in Senegal is lower than last season. In addition, this country had quality problems that forced producers to limit their watermelon exports and market a large part of their production in the local market." In addition, there have been difficulties in sea transport that are causing delays in the supply in Europe.
From a meteorological point of view, week 16 has been marked in Spain by the arrival of storm Lola, which left widespread showers and a rise in temperatures. In the European market, the weather has not favored the demand for watermelon, as in most of Europe maximum temperatures hardly exceeded 15° C.
It should be noted that the European demand for watermelons is mainly oriented towards small sizes, so the mini watermelon has a good acceptance in this market. The majority of European consumers prefer watermelons that weigh 1.5 to 2 kilos, that are easy to transport, store at home, and that are easier to consume.
The first melons hit the market
The first melons of the campaign were harvested this week. However, according to the report, a large part of Almeria's greenhouse melon production is still in the fattening phase, while the later exploitations are in the pollination phase. The volume of melon marketed that week was lower and focused on the Galia and Cantaloup varieties.
The Galia melon achieved an average price of € 0.78/kg and the Cantaloup melon stood at € 0.89/kg; which were higher than the prices they achieved in the same week of the previous season.
The main competitors of the Andalusian Galia melon in the international market are Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Morocco.
The Junta de Andalucia emphasized that Brazil had planted fewer hectares of melon this season. They also stated that the area devoted to growing melons in greenhouses in Morocco is increasing each season to the detriment of area of melons grown outdoors. This production coincides with the Almeria campaign and influences its prices.
Source: sevilla.abc.es