"It hasn't been a hot summer in Europe yet, but the heat has to come"

The weather is being decisive this year for the Spanish melon and watermelon campaign. In the greenhouses of Almeria, it has set the pace of both the fruit development and its marketing since the beginning of the season. And although we are in the middle of summer, almost in the second half of July, the lack of heat in Europe is having a noticeable impact in the campaign, currently underway in the fields of the Region of Murcia.

"There is still a lack of heat in Europe. We have a very good product, of a really good quality and customers are very happy, but what we need is good weather. In the places where it is getting hot there is very good consumption, but for example, in the southern part of Germany, the weather is very unstable, as in the UK, the Netherlands or Belgium, and this is taking a toll on the demand," says Jesus Abenza, commercial director of the cooperative Murcia Alimer. "However, I am optimistic about the development of the campaign, as although it hasn't yet been a hot summer in Europe, the heat has to come, and then the demand will take off," says Jesús.

In fact, this year, the summer has been delayed in many parts of the continent, in contrast to previous years, when Europe suffered periods of drought and heat waves that led to record-breaking temperatures being reported in some Central European countries. This rainy and cold weather recorded since the spring has not only had an impact on the demand at destination; it has also left its mark on the Murcian productions.

"Unlike in Almeria and Castile-La Mancha, where there has been an increase in the production area, in Murcia it remains more or less stable, with a bit of a decline in the case of melons. The truth is that there has been a drop in the yields compared to last year as a result of the rains in May and early June, which had an impact on the fruit setting, so the season's production has been reduced," says Jesus.

"In the case of organic watermelons, we have expanded the acreage by 5-10%, but we are going to have 30% less kilos per hectare. The situation is similar for the Galia; we have grown by 3-5% in terms of acreage, but we are eventually going to have around 25% less production," says the commercial director. "In fact, my estimate is that the total melon and watermelon production volume is going to fall by between 15 and 20%, although the most affected by the lower yields will be the organic ones. We had initially estimated the production volume of all watermelon types at around 60,000 tons, but now we don't expect to produce more than 52,000 tons," said Jesús Abenza.

This situation, caused by the weather in recent months, both at origin and destination, is an additional hurdle for melon and watermelon producers in the region, as explained by the commercial director of Alimer, which is based in Lorca. "This area of the Guadalentin Valley stands out for its watermelon production, but there are many exporters who have stopped working in the summer campaign due to lack of profitability and have chosen to extend the winter campaign, both by advancing the start and delaying the end. Our more than 70 watermelon producing partners have continued working with this crop because Alimer has a good market for our fruit, but independent growers have almost disappeared," says Jesus Abenza.