Almería’s melon and watermelon harvest is expected to drop by an estimated 10 per cent this season, as a result of low temperatures and a shortage of light in key production areas, although this is could be tempered by better prices.
As well as the predicted fall in volumes, harvesting of melons and watermelons in the Andalusian province, which is one of Spain’s major production zones, is also expected to begin slightly later this year, with large volumes forecast to arrive in early May.
However, the regional department of agriculture in the province told regional daily Diario de Almería that one of the consequences of the smaller harvest was likely to be improved prices for the products.
By contrast, Spain’s largest fresh produce company, Anecoop, told Fruitnet that it was expecting a harvest close to last season’s 103,000 tonnes of watermelons and 20,000 tonnes of melons.
However, Anecoop sales director Paco Borrás said while prospects were good, there is likely to be will be a slightly later start to this year’s season, with production expected to begin in the last week of April.
Despite this, Mr Borrás said that the company is confident for continued success during the 2010 campaign, explaining that crop forecasts are “practically the same as last year, which in itself was a record year for Anecoop”.
Whether the campaign fulfills these forecasts could largely depend on the weather remaining favourable in southern Spain over the weeks ahead. “When you’re talking about melons and watermelons, if the temperature moves to 2 degrees higher or lower than the average, then the campaign is finished,” said Mr Borrás.
Anecoop’s associated watermelon growers are located within the boundaries of Spain’s key fruit and vegetable production regions – around 25 per cent of volumes are sourced from both southern Valencia and Almería, 35 per cent from Murcia and 10 per cent from nearby Castilla La Mancha.
By contrast, the company’s melon volumes are almost exclusively drawn from Almería, Murcia and Castilla La Mancha.
