The increase in competition in the sector has led Coprohníjar to reduce the surface area for smaller watermelons in favour of ‘fat’ ones for the third year running
The ‘fever’ for mini watermelons is beginning to wind down. Companies such as Coprohníjar have been reducing the surface area planted with smaller types over the past three campaigns, changing them over to larger-sized watermelons, in the search for greater profitability. And the fact is, as Juan Segura, the Manager explains, “competition has grown a great deal in the ‘mini’ segment and as it is a smaller market, it is no longer as profitable as it had been previously.” This year, the cooperative from Almeria will devote 30% of the surface area to small watermelons, compared to the 70% of sizes that range from 2 to 5.
The forecasts for the 2022 watermelon campaign are in line with last year’s production: around 15 million kilos on a surface area of 200 hectares. What has changed, for the worse, are the costs: this year the inputs (fuel, energy, plant protection products…) have gone up, worsened by the effects of the Ukraine war, imposing an increase of around 20% for growing watermelons compared to other years. The only positive note is the recent approval of the Royal Decree Law with urgent measures, which sets a maximum price of 0.45 euros per cubic metre of desalinated water. A step which “is appreciated, because every little thing helps,” but that is insufficient in view of the serious crisis being experienced by the sector.
In spite of everything, Segura prefers to be “optimistic.” “We have good commercial lines and we offer a good service and quality. It remains to be seen how the weather conditions will develop.” Depending on this, the first pieces will start to be cut between the 15th and the 20th of April.
30 years with Bouquet
This year marks three decades since the first seedless Bouquet watermelon came onto the market, hand in hand with Anecoop and its cooperative members, amongst which is Coprohníjar. An important date when Segura looks back to make a “very positive” appraisal. He recalls that in his company “we were always the first to carry out the trials with striped, seedless watermelons and we have seen this segment grow. We are happy with the evolution that it has had and that it continues to have.”
