"The campaign began with good prospects due to the rains in May, the reduced harvest in Murcia and Almeria, and the high prices at the beginning of the campaign. The prices set were very high, but somewhat fictitious, and only lasted a week in which 5-8% of the production was sold," stated José Ángel Serrano, spokesman for the Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias' Melon and Watermelon Sector Commission and president of the Melon and Watermelon Inter-branch Organization, both from Castilla-La Mancha.
Downward price trend
"After the first days of the campaign, prices progressively fell until they were well below production costs. There was also a decrease in exports due to the decrease in temperatures in the main European exporting countries," the entity stated.
"The definitive production figures are still unknown, but the melon and watermelon sector considers that this year's low prices do not respond to the product's excellent quality, nor to supply and demand, as production would be slightly higher than last year and the high summer temperatures have encouraged the consumption of melon and watermelon in Spain and throughout the EU. In this regard, it should be noted that the area planted increased slightly compared to 2022, with 6,000 hectares planted with melon and 3,500 hectares of watermelon."
A call to assess the continuity of the production model
Given that most years producers are not obtaining any economic benefits, the spokesperson has called for the sector to reflect on the continuity of the productive model.
Source: agroalimentariasclm.coop