Last Saturday, the Region of Murcia, the leading melon producing and exporting province in the country, held the Melon Festival in Torre Pacheco.
Last year, the Region had 4,700 hectares devoted to melon production, and 208,680 tons of melon harvested in the Murcia fields were sent to international markets, for a value that exceeded 150 million euro.
The Minister of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Environment, and Emergencies, Antonio Luengo, participated in the event and said this region was the leading producer and exporter of melons thanks to the hard work of the farmers who produce excellent quality melons in a sustainable way, applying precision techniques that allow them to manage and save water and fertilizers in an efficient manner.
The main destinations markets for the melon exports are France, followed closely by Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, Luengo said. The varieties that are cultivated the most are the yellow melon, Gaul, Cantaloup, and Piel de Sapo melons, he added.
The Mayor of Torre Pacheco, Antonio Leon, the Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Luengo, the Director-General of Agriculture, Maria Remedios Garcia, members of the Municipal Corporation, and local and regional authorities visited the festival grounds, the tents of the Parties Commissions, companies, and shops that collaborated to hold the Melon Festival with tastings to their customers.
The Melon Festival was created in 1969 with the intention of promoting the agricultural activity of the municipality and it has become an important forum to defend the interests of farmers.
Source: agrodiario.com