The Spanish watermelon season is already underway after an earlier-than-usual start of the harvest in the province of Almeria, which is the earliest area. Yields at the start of the season have been somewhat lower than expected, but with good quality, generally smaller sizes, and high prices at the source. The overlap with other overseas and Mediterranean suppliers has added pressure to a market that is reluctant to pay high prices.
"Transplants in January and February have done well thanks to better weather from mid-January onwards, which has resulted in quality fruit with a good flavor," says Ángel Cebriá, sales manager for watermelon at Anecoop, who estimates that around 120,000 tons will be marketed this season.
"At the moment, production per square meter is a little below what we were expecting at this time of year, but we hope that it will recover as the season progresses," says Cebriá. "In general, there's a higher share of medium and small sizes, which are the most in demand by supermarket chains and account for the majority of sales. Therefore, there is a lack of large-sized watermelons to cover the needs of wholesale markets," he says.
On a commercial level, there has so far been a good demand, partly thanks to the good weather in almost all of Europe, although temperatures are expected to drop next week. "Prices at the source are generally at quite high levels, difficult to be passed on to the market," says Cebriá.
"It is worth recalling that while the last watermelon batches from Senegal are still expensive and do not represent competition for us, we are feeling the pressure from the South American watermelon supply in European markets, as their marketing has been extended this year, and even though they have a shorter shelf life and lower quality, they are sold at notably lower prices," he says.
At the same time, the current situation in the Middle East is causing a greater share of the production from countries such as Turkey, Egypt, or Greece to be diverted towards Europe. "This has already happened with citrus, and it's clear watermelons will also be affected. Greek watermelons didn't use to play a leading role in the markets where we export, and this year we are feeling their presence."
Anecoop's watermelon acreage is similar to last year's, while, in general, the Spanish area has been decreasing due to the poor sales results in July and August 2025. "Our acreage has been slightly reduced in the Valencia region, although this isn't a very representative area in terms of volume. At the same time, we are expanding in Seville and keeping our acreage stable in Almeria, Murcia, and La Mancha, which shows our growers' trust in our business model," says Cebriá.
A third of Anecoop's watermelon volume is marketed in Spain. The rest goes mostly to Germany, France, and Eastern European countries. Watermelon for pre-prepared convenience formats has a growing share in the United Kingdom.
For more information: sandiasbouquet.es
