Producers from Almeria are optimistic about this season's melon and watermelon campaign because of many reasons, the pandemic boosted the consumption of both fruits, the supply of stone fruit is expected to be lower, and the Horeca sector is expected to reactivate its sales.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, in 2020, watermelon and melon consumption in households increased by 9% and 16%, respectively, compared to the average of the last five years. Meanwhile, exports of these products increased by 8.5% and 14.3%, respectively.
“There is a lot of awareness about the importance of eating fruit. Watermelon and melons can be an alternative to stone fruits this spring, as we expect a drop in stone fruit production this year,” stated Andres Gongora, head of fruits and vegetables at COAG. In fact, Europech has already stated that they expect this campaign's apricot production will be 20% lower than the production achieved in 2020 and 40% lower than the average of the 2015/19 period.
Watermelon production will increase by 3% this year, with a clear trend towards black seedless varieties over the white varieties, stated the manager of the Association of Organizations of Producers of Fruits and Vegetables of Almería (Coexphal), Luis Miguel Fernandez.
"Mini calibers have increased by nearly 7% and organic production is growing by 6%, which is higher than the growth of the conventional production," he added.
The Almeria firm La Union expects to market more Crimson watermelons this year than in 2020, as it forecasts it will market more than 60 million kilos. Sources from this company based in El Ejido said there was a greater demand for value-added products and a trend towards brands within the category.
According to the forecasts of the Coexphal partners, melon production will fall by 3% with decreases in the surface area of the Galia and yellow varieties –the ones with the biggest extensions– and increases in the Cantaloupe and Piel de Sapo melon.
Gongora also said that the behavior of the tourism and hotel activity in the coming months was going to be key, as this channel's coastal purchases were very high; the weather will also affect sales, as the consumption of watermelon and melon is closely associated with heat.
Source: efeagro.com