The first watermelons harvested in the Poniente, which is the first to supply watermelons in Europe each season, are grown in greenhouses.
Joaquín Hidalgo, general coordinator of Grupo AGF, has expressed his satisfaction with the good prospects for Sandía Fashion at the start of the domestic campaign. "We crave watermelons when it gets warmer and sales thereby increase, but we must also change the fruit's perception as a summer product, because Sandía Fashion is able to supply it almost eight months per year. We want to promote changes in the consumer mentality, encouraging them to enjoy the flavour of Fashion watermelons not only in summer, but practically all year round."
In mid-February, the first Fashion watermelons from Senegal hit the shelves of the main markets. "These are intended as off-season products and their quality is unbeatable. That's why we prefer Senegalese watermelons rather than those from Central America."
The Fashion watermelon harvest in the Poniente area of Almeria has been delayed by around two weeks compared to last year. There has also been a drop in the production at the start of the campaign due to the adverse weather conditions, namely wind and rain, which affected the bee pollination. "However, the production planned for the entire campaign will exceed 80 million kilos, which is between 2 and 3% more than in the previous season," says the general coordinator of AGF.
The campaign in Senegal has had an excellent development, much better than in previous campaigns, and the fruit has met the high quality and health standards expected for Fashion watermelons.
From the middle of June, Sandía Fashion will start harvesting its watermelons in the open ground in the Levante area of Almeria, as well as in Seville and Murcia. The season will then continue along the Mediterranean coast and eventually finish in the La Mancha area.