Just over a month before the start of the watermelon harvest in Spain, the prospect is that the acreage in Almeria will be reduced by around 5% compared to last year. Meanwhile, the Senegalese watermelon campaign is successfully underway, with good quality and volumes.
"We have been having a fantastic Senegalese watermelon campaign since we started in early February," says Joaquín Hidalgo, CEO of Grupo AGF Fashion. "The weather has had a very positive impact on yields, and the quality is exceptional."
The first Spanish watermelons will arrive in mid-April in Almeria, where, according to Joaquín Hidalgo, the acreage devoted to this crop is expected to decrease by 5%, while that devoted to melons will fall by 7%. "The reason for this is the fact that, in recent years, growers have tended to extend the production of winter vegetables in their greenhouses, as they are more profitable than spring crops. Also, with the arrival of spring and the heat, there are more issues with virosis in cucurbits," he says.
A reduction of the acreage is also expected in Seville, where Fashion had been growing for several campaigns, due to the impact of drought, which is also affecting other crops, such as citrus fruits and rice.
"Regarding open ground crops, especially those in the Region of Murcia, it doesn't look like the acreage will be reduced, although there is uncertainty due to the scarcity of water as a result of the drought and cuts in the allocations of water for irrigation, which is leading many producers to seek alternative areas with greater availability of this resource," says Joaquín Hidalgo.
Grupo AGF Fashion, which this year won't have Agrupa Adra or Murgiverde among its producing partners, expects a watermelon production totaling 70,000 tons in the 2024 campaign.
"Everything will depend on the weather conditions and the water supply in the areas with the greatest scarcity. We hope that Senegal's successful campaign is a harbinger of higher volumes and quality also in Spain, unlike what we saw last year, when there was a significant drop in the production and skyrocketing prices," says the CEO of the group.
For more information:
Joaquín Hidalgo
Grupo AGF Fashion
T: +34 950 400 311
jhidalgo@grupoagf.es
www.sandiafashion.com