This week, it will start the control plan to avoid the cutting of watermelon and melon before time, under the slogan "Don't cut it while green". Agriculture and Fishing insists on the importance of "avoiding selling in the markets those shipments that are not completely ripe and don't have the sugar levels". By producing fruits like that it would generate a negative effect during the campaign, such as clients loosing their trust in the product cultivated in the province. So, José For the execution of this plan, the Andalucía administration is counting on the collaboration from all the companies in the sector.
Teams of Quality Inspection from the Delegation of Agriculture and Fishing have already started developing their work in the areas of Almanzora, Campo de Níjar and Poniente-Campo de Dalías". Last year, according to numbers from the Provincial Delegation, "inspectors made 135 controls and 2,300 kilos of watermelon were destroyed since they did't meet the adequate maturity conditions for commerce. In the 2010 campaign 28,000 kilos were destroyed".
José António Salinas calls for sector responsibility to avoid bad practices having a negative reflection in sales of Almería melon and watermelon, reminding of the existence of an emergency telephone number to warn about possible cases.
The Andalucía Interprofessional of Fruits and Vegetables points out that "the consumer selects those fruits by taste and sweetness. That way, we consider it to be essential to alert the horticultural sector, farmers and merchants, about the importance of these fruits being harvested and commercialized at the right moment, to ensure to the consumer the organoleptic properties of the melon and watermelon and preserve their trust and the good image of these products in those markets".
Consumption
Hortyfruta showed its satisfaction after seeing the data published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, where it shows that the fruit and vegetable consumption increased by 3.7%.
Source: Ideal