"Spain: "The Galkia varieties are giving our Galia sales a boost"

At the moment, the temperatures are rising again in central and northern Europe. "If the weather improves, we expect the demand to recover; otherwise, we'll have serious problems."

According to Toñi Piernas, in Spain the tradition is to consume Piel de Sapo melons or watermelons, with the latter gaining more and more ground on the former. "The consumption of Galia, yellow or cantaloupe melons is much lower, although there is a market for them as well, bearing in mind that there is a large influx of European tourists in the coastal areas who do tend to consume these types of melon."

Campo de Lorca produces and markets Galia, cantaloupe and yellow melons, which are mainly intended for export under the Cricket brand. "We work mainly in the markets of the European Union and the United Kingdom."

The new Galkia variety is giving Galia sales a boost

The new Galia variety obtained by Nunhems, the Galkia, has been a great success for Campo de Lorca, which is regaining the ground lost in the Galia melon market.

"We are betting strongly on the new Galkia line of Galia melons. These semi long life varieties bring back the traditional texture, aroma and flavour, which had been lost in recent years, since breeders had been focusing too much on the development of varieties with a better appearance," explains Toñi Piernas. "We started last year with some tests and this year we already have significant volumes because of the success they are achieving."