The warm temperatures recorded throughout the entire winter resulted in an earlier start of the watermelon harvest in the west of Almeria, which kicked off in mid-April. For now, even though the volume available is still limited, initial prices have been relatively low on average because of the lack of consumption in Europe.
While in Spain the weather conditions are suitable for watermelon consumption, Europe has continued to record rains and unusually low temperatures for this time of the year. "The export has not yet started, because sales are stagnant," explains José Garcia, manager of Agrupaadra. "It's been a difficult start, and we expect more market stability as the weather conditions improve," he adds.
Agrupaadra will have a greater watermelon production this year, with prospects to harvest around 10 million kilos, 6 million of which correspond to black seedless Fashion watermelons and the rest to striped seedless Crimson and Icebox miniwatermelons. Agrupaadra is a founding member of Grupo AGF, which sells black seedless watermelons under the umbrella of the Fashion brand, as well as Icebox-branded miniwatermelons.
Agrupaadra pioneered the discovery of the Fashion, as it carried out the first tests in 2002. In 2006, after confirming that the product had a bright future, the fruit started being grown on a large scale together with 24 other companies from different provinces of the Mediterranean coast and, to a lesser extent, from Senegal, with the goal of having production from March to October.
In 2015, 70 million kilos were harvested on 1,700 hectares, while this year nearly 1,800 hectares have been devoted to the crop, which are expected to yield about 75 million kilos.
This watermelon variety obtained by Nunhems, a subsidiary of Bayer, reaches slightly above average Brix levels in the same production conditions. The key to its success are the controls and protocols in its production, handling and marketing, with internal and external auditors. Heavy investments in its marketing to advertise its unique features to consumers are another key factor. Fashion carries out great promotions in the Spanish media, as the domestic market accounts for 60% of all sales.
"On 5 May, Fashion will present a new brand image at national level which will surely have everyone talking about it," stated José García.
In any case, Fashion is becoming increasingly popular in the European markets, with Germany recording the fastest growth in recent seasons. We are working with more and more German chains and they are becoming major partners for us.
"Small watermelons are the future"
Agrupaadra, like other companies in Grupo AGF, markets Icebox miniwatermelons for the European markets.
"Sales of this concept are gradually increasing every year and we believe the product has a great future," assures José Garcia. "We have observed that consumer trends are changing not only in Europe, but also in Spain, where the average sizes demanded have been slightly reduced," he adds.