Data on the spring crop campaign, whose first transplants were carried out in January, have showed the consolidation of a clear trend in recent years. According to the territorial delegation of agriculture, while the acreage planted with watermelons in the province of Almeria in 2017 grew by 2% compared to 2016 and reached 8,310 hectares, that of melons fell by 8%, reaching a ridiculous 2,340 hectares.
If we take a look at what has happened over a longer period of time, the conclusions are dramatic for the melon production: between 2010 and 2017, the melon acreage in Almeria has gone from 6,380 hectares to fewer than 2,500 hectares; a decrease of more than 60% in less than ten years.
This is a completely different scenario to that of watermelons at this time of the year. After having flirted with its disappearance from the campaign planning in Almeria, this fruit has become a reliable product, with good sales and of great quality. Brands such as 'Fashion', 'Premium' or 'Bouquet' are "badges" of quality for watermelons from the province of Almeria.
Reasons
It is worth asking for the reasons behind the difficult situation of Almeria's melons. If we look at global trends, melon consumption globally does not seem to have fallen. The hypothesis of a shortage of demand to explain this phenomenon is, therefore, discarded.
The campaign planning on the part of the growers, who hesitate between planting two crops or growing a 'winter' product with a long cycle, can partially explain the reduction of the melon acreage. Manuel Ruiz, development and promotion coordinator for HM Clause, explains that "if producers observe that a product reaches good prices during the first part of the campaign, they usually opt for a long cycle, as has been the case with peppers."
The entry of melons from other geographical regions, which clash in the market with the Almerian production, is also a handicap for the sale of this fruit. It is a product with a price that can be very competitive in the European market, but which also meets the quality and taste requirements of the continental consumer.
None of these characteristics are, however, alien to watermelons, the main summer product grown in Almeria, along with melons, which under the same circumstances is seeing growth every year. Much of this trend is due to the success of Fashion watermelons, the spearhead of a number of projects that combine a high quality product with a good marketing campaign aimed at both the distribution and the consumer of this summer product.
The case of Fashion watermelons is paradigmatic; a group of marketers, who had suffered from the deterioration of watermelon production under plastic, joined together with Nunhems, Bayer's plant improvement division, to create a high-quality product that responded to the demands of consumers. Although the process for the brand's implementation and the unification of criteria was long, Fashion watermelons currently lead the market in the seedless watermelon segment.
Quality
Would it be possible for melons in Almeria to achieve a similar success? Seed houses, with their research and development of new varieties, play an essential role in the creation of attractive products for the public. Manuel Ruiz, coordinator of promotion and development at HM Clause Ibérica, points out that there should be a variety that, in addition to being suitable for Almeria's climate, also reached the destination markets without losing its qualities.
Quality is, precisely, the key word for Alberto Cuadrado, coordinator of Rijk Zwaan's agro-food chain, who acknowledged that the trends for varietal improvement "remain focused on offering the consumer a better quality product, both in terms of flavour and other sensory factors."
Source: lavozdealmeria.es
