Andalusia fresh produce trade association Hortyfruta is warning growers not to harvest their melons too soon and risk disrupting the marketplace.
The Spanish body issued a statement reporting that melons and watermelons have been planted under cover and that growers are moving beehives into their greenhouses in order to pollinate.
The group said: “The first fruit will arrive on the marketplace at the end of the month and for that reason we would like to send out a message to producers and marketing desks to ensure that they put into practice harvesting quality measures to ensure only fruit that is at optimum ripeness is marketed…so consumers are assured of getting the right eating quality in their melons and watermelons from Andalusia and so maintain consumer confidence in the good image of these products in the market.”
Meanwhile, Hortyfruta has received a boost from official statistics published by the farm ministry in Spain last week that show consumption of fresh vegetables in Spanish homes rose by 3.7 per cent last year.
The figures further indicated that quality of produce is the main factor governing Spaniards’ choice of retailer (67 per cent) followed by price (59 per cent) and proximity (40 per cent).
