Flavour and the search for smaller formats make up Sakata’s road map
The Piel de Sapo melon varieties have always been Sakata’s flagship for flavour. Thanks to their continuous improvement, the seed company offers a quality product, which can be eaten 12 months of the year.
In 2019, Sakata is marketing two new varieties of Piel de Sapo, with the names of Grand Calero and Grand Cortés, aimed at offering a great product for the end of the campaign in La Mancha. Another of the new developments for this year has been the marketing of the first cantaloupe melon variety by Sakata in Almeria, named Festival. This variety stands out for its balanced plant, high yield and early quality of its fruit.
In order for the continuous improvement of the products to be effective, they must pass through a pre-commercial phase. At present, Sakata is working on two new varieties of Piel de Sapo. One is for the greenhouse segment in Almeria (S1739) and the other is for the early segment in Murcia (S2011 – San Jose F1). With these two new melons, not only the resistances to powdery mildew and aphids have been improved, but they also have a more attractive appearance and a longer shelf-life, without losing their original essence, based on a consistent flesh with a high flavour rate.
Thanks to the inclusion of these two new varieties, Sakata has completed its range of varieties for all the national production segments and, therefore, the entire campaign may be enjoyed with high quality melons. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the seed company is a reference in import varieties from Brazil and Senegal, where they produce the varieties Grand Prix and Don Quixote, respectively.
Flavour and new formats
The evolution of the market is an unstoppable factor; it is essential to know the latest trends and to adapt Sakata’s products to these new commercial requirements. To do this, improvement based on flavour is an essential commitment for increasing consumption. At the same time, at Sakata they are working on the search for new, smaller formats that can reach a broader market. In this way, they would stop depending only on national consumption.
Regarding the forecasts for this campaign, the trend involves increasing the early plantations in Murcia and particularly, those of melons for export. After years of dormancy, the yellow melon is on the rise again due to last year’s good results, while the Charentais-type cantaloupe melon is recording an important growth in the Murcia area thanks to its high quality and to its good prices in recent campaigns.
As a picture is worth a thousand words, in 2019 Sakata plans to carry out demonstration activities in the fields with farmers and marketers. The idea is to show them the new Piel de Sapo, yellow and cantaloupe products firsthand, along with their characteristics and innovations.
