Given that the melon and watermelon campaign has already started, COAG Almeria has asked the province's Delegate of Agriculture, José Manuel Ortiz, to launch the campaign "No cortes en verde" ("Don't harvest unripe fruit") and to provide a telephone number for growers and consumers to denounce such practices.
"We are sending a clear message to traders not to market unripe melons and watermelons, as this will adversely affect the quality of both products when they reach the supermarket shelves," said the organisation's statement.
According to COAG Almeria, "the Council of Agriculture should already be on the alert, since we insist on this every season, but this year they are not on the ball. Inspections should already be underway, and we should also already have the telephone number for complaints."
The agricultural organisation expects the Delegate to launch the campaign as soon as possible and advises growers and consumers to "denounce those who they know are harvesting unripe fruit or bringing them to the shelves under these conditions. We must fight to preserve the quality of our products; it is vital for the first shipments exported overseas to arrive with an optimum ripeness and flavour, as the quality of these orders may have an impact on the entire spring campaign."
Third Countries
In this sense, COAG Almeria also stresses the need for the Administration to increase surveillance and control on traders marketing melons and watermelons from third countries, since due to the amount of time they take to reach Spain and the few quality controls they go through, these products have nothing to do with those grown, for example, in the province of Almeria.
"We demand clear labels to prevent confusion and give consumers the chance to choose the product they want to buy and to know exactly where it came from. Additionally, we would like to remind distribution chains that Almeria is already harvesting the first melons and watermelons and melons of the campaign, so it won't be necessary to resort to producers outside Spain to buy these fruits."