The melon campaign has already kicked off in the Spanish Region of Murcia, where, according to Felipe López, managing director of Gregal, the volumes are currently limited, "but the quality is really good."
"The yields of these first early plantings, which were carried out in February, have been lower than expected because the April rains, although not plentiful, fell at the worst possible time. This, together with the lower than usual night temperatures, resulted in a not so abundant fruit setting, and the sizes of these first fruits are also not that large."
"However, in these two weeks in which we have been harvesting melons, the demand has been slightly lower because the cold and rainy weather at destination does not stimulate consumption. However, since the volumes are not that big, there is a good balance between supply and demand, and we are selling all the production without any problems."
"Almeria's melon campaign is already finishing and next week the Region of Murcia will be practically alone in the market, delivering moderate volumes up until the end of week 24 or the beginning of week 25, when the melon and watermelon productions will significantly increase, so we hope that the weather will have improved by then, so consumption can also grow."
Gregal produces around 35,000 tons of the four types of melon each campaign and accounts for the largest volumes of Galia, yellow and Cantaloupe. "Our production is very export-oriented, except for the Piel de Sapo melon, which we produce on a smaller scale for the domestic market, although we see that the consumption of some types of Galia melon is on the rise in Spain, mainly in tourist areas," says Felipe.
Regarding prices, "the start of the Almeria campaign was not as good commercially as it should have been, but from mid-season onwards, prices have remained at acceptable levels for both melon and watermelon. We are now arriving with an exceptional quality, freshly-harvested product, so we hope that customers will appreciate it and that prices will remain stable at precisely the time of highest consumption."
"This summer will also feature two very important events in Europe: the Euro Cup, in Germany, and the Olympic Games, in Paris, which, as we have seen on previous occasions, usually helps boost consumption, which also means greater profitability for our producers."
For more information:
Gregal S. Coop.
Carril Los Pérez, S/N
30700 Torre Pacheco, Murcia, Spain
Tel.: +34 968 58 55 56
Email: www.gregal.com