According to an initial assessment by ASAJA-Almeria, the acreage devoted to watermelon cultivation is expected to fall by around 10% next spring. This decrease is mainly being recorded in the Poniente Almeriense. In the Almeria and Níjar area, the watermelon acreage is generally expected to remain similar to that of the previous campaign. As for the sowing date, it remains early in the Níjar area.
Meanwhile, the acreage devoted to melon production is expected to remain similar to that of the previous campaign. With these forecasts, the watermelon and melon acreage in greenhouses in 2024 should amount to 8,100 and 2,500 hectares, respectively.
With the start of January, the trends of the spring campaign in Almeria's agriculture are starting to show. Given the stability in the prices of winter products and the fear of viruses affecting spring crops, some producers who usually grow watermelon in the Poniente are choosing to cultivate the same crops this coming spring. "The traditional instability of watermelon prices at origin is causing many growers to continue working with vegetables this spring," says Adoración Blanque, president of ASAJA-Almeria.
Similar watermelon acreage in the Almeria and Níjar valley, low in the Poniente
The main watermelon producing area, namely the Almeria valley and Campo de Níjar, has a similar acreage to that of the previous campaign, although late tomato plantings and the prices of this crop have slowed down the expansion of watermelon this campaign. Meanwhile, the acreage devoted to extra-early and early transplants remains the same as in 2023.
Regarding melon cultivation, ASAJA-Almeria said that the Piel de Sapo and Yellow varieties remain the favorites among producers, and that the Galia and Cantaloupe are increasingly losing ground.
It should be noted that the high production costs that "we have been dealing with campaign after campaign are leading Almeria producers to try 'securing' the value of their productions. Therefore, and based on how the campaign is going, vegetables are a safer product than spring fruits."
Another key factor at this time is the incidence of viruses and pests. In the case of vegetables, these tend to appear before the harvest, but due to the uncertainty of watermelon cultivation, many producers won't risk waiting until the end of the production cycle to determine the status of their productions.
For more information:
ASAJA-Almeria
https://asajaalmeria.org