Asaja Almería has carried out a study that concludes that there has been a reduction of 2,500 hectares in the area of watermelon cultivation. Greenhouse plantations decreased by 20% and open-field crops decreased by 25%.
According to the agricultural organization, Almeria has only devoted 8,100 hectares in greenhouses and 1,400 hectares outdoors to watermelon cultivation in 2023.
The area devoted to watermelon cultivation in the area of Almeria and Nijar is expected to decrease by 10-15% over the previous campaign.
The area devoted to this crop in the Poniente would decrease by up to 20% over the previous season. The lack of water for irrigation has also led Almeria's Levante to reduce its production by more than 30%.
This initial drop in transplants could be explained by the maintenance of autumn pepper, cucumber, eggplant, and zucchini productions, which have had a final stretch and a start of the year with above-average prices, as well as the fear of proliferation of pests and diseases at this time of year.
"This has led many farmers to decide not to plant watermelons. Given the current increase in costs, producers are not confident enough to plant another crop," stated the president of Asaja Almeria, Adoración Blanque.
The area devoted to this crop in Levante, with outdoor productions, is also expected to decrease, in this case, due to the lack of guaranteed water resources, and a lack of rain," Asaja added.
However, to date, the weather has helped producers to achieve good pollination of the plantations in greenhouses, which undoubtedly guarantees the quality of the watermelons that are beginning to be marketed already in the province. “The watermelon must be harvested at its optimal time, avoiding green cuts that damage the image of our fruit,” Blanque stated.
Source: EFE / diariodealmeria.es