Growers and exporters in Murcia are forecasting a slump in melon and watermelon output.
High temperatures in the south-eastern Spanish region brought plant growth on rapidly up to the first week in July. However, Proexport, which represents producer-exporters in the region, is forecasting a drop of 40-55 per cent in output depending on variety.
President of the melon section of Proexport, Laureano Montesinos, said: “A lot of the melon and watermelon production that was programmed to be harvested over the next few weeks had to be harvested two weeks ago as the high temperatures since mid-June accelerated the maturation process.
"Unfortunately, this uplift in output did not coincide with the desired increase in consumption on export markets due to unseasonably heavy rain, particularly in the UK.”
Producer-exporters even had to destroy some of their production in the fields. Now they are hoping for an uplift in pricing and have been working with their retail customers to revise programmes given the shortfall.
The season is forecast to last until the end of August for melons and the end of September for watermelons. Proexport members anticipate being able to recover from the poor start to their campaign and the prevailing drop in availability to achieve better average profitability by the end of the season.
