The watermelon harvest has started this week in the Castile-La Mancha region of Spain, where the acreage is estimated to have increased by around 15% compared to last year. "Last week, some fruit was already harvested, but now the watermelon harvest is starting across the board. As for melons, our harvest will begin in about 10 days," says Raúl Arroyo, from Agrollanos.
"The quality is really good. I'd even dare say that it is the best in recent years, with very nice large sizes. However, the problem we are seeing is that the markets are at a standstill, both internationally and in Spain, and we don't really know why."
"Given the prices we are seeing so far, we don't believe this to be the reason and neither is the weather, because it is hot and this should be giving a boost to consumption. In my opinion, it could be due to various factors, including the fact that there are quite a few other fruits available on the market at the moment."
"Looking back, the stone fruit volumes available in previous years have sometimes been very low due to the impact of frosts, but this year's production has been normal and perhaps consumer preferences are being influenced by this when it comes to choosing what to buy."
"The other reason that we believe could have an influence is the fact that some Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, have had a greater watermelon production and are shipping a lot of fruit at very low prices to different areas of Europe."
"However, our harvest is only just starting and we hope that with the improvement in the weather conditions expected in Europe, the situation will improve, because the quality of the fruit this year is excellent and the season will continue for a few more months."
"As usual, we at Agrollanos are focusing on watermelons and Piel de Sapo melons, which are the most demanded and yield the best profitability. We already had the GlobalG.A.P., GRASP and Chain of Custody certificates, and in 2024 we have obtained a new one: the BRC, one of the highest quality certificates. This should allow us to reach the most demanding supermarkets and clients across Europe."
"We started the season with great excitement with this news, and now we only hope that the demand will increase, since we have fruit of the best possible quality."
For more information:
SAT Agrollanos
C/ Luis Mingo s/n
13220 Los Llanos del C., Ciudad Real, Spain
Tel.: +34 926 644 188
[email protected]
www.satagrollanos.com