The watermelon harvest in the Spanish region of Murcia started 10 to 15 days later than usual due to the persistent rains in March, as well as low yields, so there's uncertainty ahead of July. The good quality of the product and the warm weather across Europe are resulting in high demand and high prices.
"We are facing a watermelon campaign with low yields, as fewer fruits have set per plant and sizes have been predominantly smaller in this first part of the season," says Jesús Abenza, Managing Director of Alimer, a cooperative based in Lorca, Murcia.
© Alimer
"Although more plantations will come into production in July, I don't think we'll reach the volumes of a normal year this season. Every week, we are seeing a reduction in yields, aggravated by the excessive heat at this time of year, which is stressing the plants and limiting their production," says Abenza.
"Although the supply is not as low as last year, it is still below average. We are concerned by this because, due to the weather and other external factors, watermelon yields per hectare have dropped by 25 to 40% in recent years. With the same number of plants, a few years ago we managed to produce 65 million kilos of watermelon of different varieties, while this year we are expecting to reach between 52 and 55 million kilos," he says.
Nevertheless, according to the Managing Director of Alimer, a very positive market situation is making up for those lower productions. "There's an incredibly high demand for watermelon thanks to the warm weather in Europe and the fruit's good quality this year. Also, while there are plenty of small sizes, this is not a disadvantage for export markets."
Prices are very high and, if they stay like this throughout the season, they will make up for the lack of kilos per hectare. "For now, I predict that this trend will continue over the next two weeks. We are very happy about how sales are going and our clients are immediately repeating their purchases, so no stocks are accumulating," he says.
Jesús Abenza also highlights the growth in sales of cut or sliced watermelon. "There's a growing number of pre-prepared convenience food companies that are offering more options to consumers and more opportunities for watermelon consumption, while also reducing wastage. In general, we see that this has been very beneficial for watermelon consumption," he says.
For more information:
Jesús Abenza
Alimer S.Coop.
Camino de Villaespesa, s/n. Lorca, Spain.
Tel.: +34 968 460 812
[email protected]
www.alimer.es
