The melon campaign in La Mancha is expected to be "orderly and without overlapping," according to information from the Melon and Watermelon Interprofessional of Castile-La Mancha. This year, the Santiago Apóstol Cooperative expects a production of between 15 and 20 million kilos, and the trading company Mercomancha expects to market between 20,000 and 25,000 tons.
The acreage in the region will stand slightly below the 6,000 hectares of melons and 2,400 hectares of watermelons declared in the CAP of 2018, and the overall production volume will be similar, with an increase in the case of watermelons (compared to the 168,750 tons recorded in 2018) and a drop in the case of melons (compared to last year's 197,400 tons).
Last season, the market collapsed due to overlapping in the productions, which took a toll on the crop's average profitability. This year, the prospect is there will be a better balance between supply and demand. More than 80% of the melons and watermelons come from the municipalities of Cinco Casas, Manzanares, Membrilla, Tomelloso and Argamasilla de Alba.
The province of Ciudad Real accounts for 4,935 of the region's total 6,036 hectares devoted to melons, as well as 2,250 of the 2,601 hectares devoted to watermelons, according to official statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Source: lanzadigital.com
