Agroponiente expects good spring melon and watermelon campaigns
The spring campaign is already here and Grupo Agroponiente has been working for weeks on the entire production strategy in the field, as usual, side by side with the farmer. The crop forecasts are very advanced and the first conclusions can already be drawn about how the campaign will work in general terms.
The forecasts point to a rebound in the production of spring melon and watermelon, with higher quality and volume than last year, due to the fact that the weather has been favourable for this type of crop and the general evolution of the campaign is encouraging; there is also a commitment to medium and late crops, given the length of the winter cycles.
As for watermelon, the focus is once again on classic varieties of black watermelon, especially seedless, but especially in late crops, given that the positive evolution of the market and prices in the final stretch of the winter segment has meant that horticultural production windows have been extended. The productive area has increased and this, together with the positive weather conditions and the price status that will not change in the coming months, point to a spring with good results in quality, volume and even prices.
As for melon, the forecast is quite similar to that for watermelon, that is, there is a clear commitment to more traditional products such as Black Melon or Piel de Sapo, which also fits perfectly with the later planting to benefit from the good prices during the final stretch of winter. Volume and quality will also grow compared to last year.
Likewise, it is important to point out the optimistic environment regarding the commitment to specific horticultural products in spring, especially certain tomato varieties, which are going to mean a second quite significant campaign cycle in terms of production figures.
The only note of concern is provided by the expected spring viruses, although in this sense it must also be stressed that precautions are being taken in the field to deal with them and the foundations are being laid to be able to culminate a spring campaign with better data compared to last year.
The head of the Agricultural Engineering Area of Grupo Agroponiente, Antonio Algarra, said: “We have been working on the spring campaign for a long time, like every year, and, at this point, we can predict how it will behave: the most important conclusions are the increase in production due to the optimism derived from the winter prices and the good weather, as well as the improvement in terms of quality that we are detecting on the farms, also compared to last season, and very efficient work in the prevention of viruses. With these three factors, we expect the campaign to improve on the figures of previous years and we will see improved prices for the second consecutive campaign.”
