The first transplants of extra-early and early watermelons are already being carried out in the greenhouses of Almeria. "We have already been in touch and made the first agreements with our growers for the 2024 watermelon campaign, whose transplants are starting now, in the second half of December, and will continue until the end of February," said Luis Candil, from Agroalmanzora.
"However, there is much concern in the sector. Planting watermelons isn't currently very desirable because the fall has been very warm and there have been delays in the vegetable campaign and production losses that will cause producers to have a smaller harvest in the winter cycle."
"It should also be recalled that last year, watermelons were affected by low prices in May. From about April 20, growers dealt with difficulties in the market due to cold and rainy weather in the spring, which caused consumption in Europe to suffer."
"Later, in August and September, in the final stretch of the campaign, consumers had access to very good quality fruit at an average of 70-75 cents per kilo; a price that should have been higher to make up for the rise in costs," said Luis. "It is true that some inputs have been becoming a little cheaper, but costs are still 30% higher than 3 years ago."
"We, like all agricultural producers, have a responsibility to the consumers and, as we are showing year after year, we fulfill it. That is why, despite the whole economic and global situation, and the problems with the drought, we already have our program thought out and the idea is to produce the same volume as last year. However, it is true, I insist, that there is a lot of uncertainty."
And not just in the initial part of the campaign, "also for the mid-campaign harvests in June and July, as two factors will determine the results: water availability and temperatures."
"Information on the weather that is normally recorded on a given date and all the studies we have from previous years are not worth much now; we only need to remember how 300 liters of rainfall were recorded in May last year. All we know for sure is that we are at the mercy of whatever may come."
"What plays in our favor is that our melons and watermelons have gained a great market share thanks to the professionalization of the sector. Spanish growers and marketers are supplying a very good quality product at a very good price. In our case, Agroalmanzora is backed by the Fashion brand, but above all, we can count on being able to cover the entire production campaign and provide our customers not only a good quality product, but also the best service."
For more information:
SAT 7467 Agroalmanzora
Paraje Los Sifones S/N, Palomares,
C.P.04617 Almeria, Spain
Tel.:+34 950 467 315
[email protected]
https://satagroalmanzora.com