Murcia's melon sector, united under the federation of cooperatives Fecoam and the exporters association Proexport, has predicted an increase in production volumes this campaign of between 8 and 20%, mainly due to the good weather conditions throughout the winter in the region.
The president of Proexport's Melon and Watermelon department, Laureano Montesinos, reckons that "there will be no significant changes in production volumes for most of Murcia's melon varieties this season, with the exception of Piel de Sapo melons, which will grow by around 8%."
Laureano Montesinos made this statement after gathering all the information provided by Proexport producers, who expect production volumes to be similar to last year's between the months of June and September.
For his part, the producer and treasurer of Fecoam, Domingo Llamas, estimated production volumes to increase by more than 20%, even though the information he handles suggest that growers this year have planted 20% less in all varieties, except for yellow melon, which has expanded. "This apparent contradiction has a clear explanation: this year we have had a really good year, meteorologically speaking, so nothing has been lost and the fruit has settled really well," he says.
New Delhi Virus
Llamas explains that fear to the New Delhi virus was what led growers to plant fewer melons. However, "for now we have not been affected," he assures. In this regard, the representative of Proexport points out that "the strict food safety control procedures carried out by Murcia's companies, as well as the good agricultural practices, are making it possible to keep certain pests, such as this virus, under control."
Markets
Only a month before the international markets start receiving the first shipments of Murcian melons, companies linked to Proexport are hoping temperatures in those countries will be warm enough to stimulate demand.
Cooperatives also highlight this point. "If Europe has hot weather, consumption will grow and, therefore, demand will increase; otherwise, our prospects will be far from promising," explains Domingo Llamas.
For Proexport, the UK (34%) is the number one export destination, followed by Germany (20%) and the Netherlands (10%). The ranking continues with other EU countries, Norway, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.
Trade missions carried out by this business organisation to the major trade fairs have led to the opening of "new and attractive niche markets" for its members.
"Murcia is the European Union's largest melon supplier during the summer months, as the region's fruit has great prestige in the international markets. We offer our customers a quality guarantee in terms of calibre, texture, sweetness, juiciness and flavour. These features, achieved thanks to Murcia's particular climatic and production conditions, make the fruit almost impossible to imitate in other places," stresses Laureano Montesinos.
As for the domestic market, the producer stresses how stable the production is for each of the varieties, with the Galia, Yellow, Cantaloupe and Charentais not experiencing any major changes. The expected growth of Piel de Sapo melons responds to the current increase in demand in the domestic market.
According to data provided by Murcia's Council of Agriculture, the region produced a total of 223,668 tonnes of melons in 2013, grown in an area of 6,230 hectares distributed between Campo de Cartagena (77%), Valle del Guadalentin (14%) and Vega Segura (6%). During the same year, the Region of Murcia exported 196,025 tonnes of melons.
Source: valenciafruits.com
