"Almeria has learned to harvest watermelons at the right moment"

"Watermelon prices in Almeria are much better at the start of the season compared to last year, almost 100% higher, and despite the fact that higher volumes are now entering the market, prices are not falling too much and have remained stable so far," explains José Antonio Baños, manager of EJIDOMAR.

The watermelon campaign kicked off for EJIDOMAR in late March and is expected to be completed in October. When they are finished in Almeria, about 15-20 June, they will continue in Cordoba, Murcia and Castile-La Mancha.

José Antonio stresses the quality of Almeria's watermelons, which currently stands out. "Looking not far behind, watermelons in Almeria's fields used to be handled in a not very efficient manner, which resulted in poor flavour and sweetness, as well as low consumption."

For José Antonio Baños, the key lies in the progress made in harvest management. "We continue to work with the same varieties as we did more than fifteen years ago, which back then were tasteless, but are now delicious and sweet because the harvest is carried out at the right time," he says. "We must thank the Fashion group for the field work done to obtain a quality sweet watermelon. Thanks to them, growers have learned to harvest watermelons when they reach their optimum ripeness, which is very positive for Almeria."

"A few years ago, we had more melons than watermelons, but over the years we have managed to triple our watermelon production," says the exporter. "Certainly the black Fashion seedless watermelon is the most demanded. We have striped and black EJIDOMAR Premium watermelons, both seedless, which stand out in terms of price from other watermelons we sell because of their high standards in taste and quality."

EJIDOMAR distributes the larger watermelons in the domestic market and exports the smaller ones to all countries in Europe, mainly Germany, which is the largest watermelon consumer. "The domestic market is abandoning watermelon with seeds, which are mostly intended for export, for a type of consumer who is simply looking for the most affordable watermelon," he says. "We'll have to wait and see what this season brings; for now, it seems that the weather is being favourable enough for consumption levels to be good," he explains.