Spain’s watermelon and melon season is getting underway with positive early signs, particularly in the south of the country, where the first harvests have already started. After a difficult 2025 campaign marked by overlapping production from different regions and strong pressure on prices, the sector is looking ahead with more optimism.
Black, striped, ultra-firm, mini and orange-flesh watermelons, as well as white, yellow and piel de sapo melons, are now part of a diversified offer that is gaining ground in Spain’s production areas. The main producing regions remain Andalusia, Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha.
According to Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the country cultivated 23,100 hectares of watermelon in 2025, up from 21,500 hectares in 2024, and 17,500 hectares of melon, compared with 16,700 hectares the previous year. Production reached 1.31 million tonnes of watermelon and 642,100 tonnes of melon.
Almería leads the early harvest
The first cuts traditionally take place in southern Spain, with Almería taking the lead. The campaign officially began this year with the presentation of “The first watermelon in Europe”, an initiative promoted by Coexphal, the Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organisations of Almería.
In Almería, the sequence of storms earlier this year led many growers to abandon additional vegetable cycles in greenhouses and move directly into watermelon and melon production. According to COAG Almería, this has resulted in an increase in planted area compared with 2025.
The area devoted to extra-early greenhouse watermelon, which is already being harvested, is estimated to have grown by between 5% and 6%. Open-field watermelon, meanwhile, is still in the transplanting phase and is expected to be harvested in July.
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For now, prices are favourable. According to MAPA, the latest national average farmgate price for watermelon in week 18, from 27 April to 3 May, stood at €0.9967/kg, 18.65% higher than in the same week of 2025.
Melon usually starts around two weeks later than watermelon. In Almería, production is increasingly focused on piel de sapo, while smaller and sweeter types such as cantaloupe and galia, traditionally in demand in France, have been gaining production share in Morocco.
Less overseas competition supports the market
In Murcia, the campaign has also started positively. Proexport’s watermelon and melon committee points to a market with limited overseas supply, which is helping support prices at the beginning of the Spanish season.
Murcia expects a similar planted area to last year, with the main campaign starting in June, when open-field production gains pace. Growers are increasingly using small plastic tunnel systems to protect plants during the early stages of development.
The region is also watching input costs closely. At the end of May, producers are expected to assess the impact of rising costs linked to the war in the Middle East. There is also concern over whether the EU-Mercosur agreement could increase melon imports from Brazil, which last year began shipping to the European Union in early September, while Spain was still in season.
Castilla-La Mancha looks for recovery after a difficult 2025
Castilla-La Mancha, another key production area, is entering the new campaign after what the regional interprofessional organisation describes as one of the worst seasons in the last 20 years.
In 2025, late spring rains delayed planting in Andalusia, causing production to overlap with Castilla-La Mancha. This was followed by very high temperatures in June, with peaks of up to 42°C, which brought harvests forward and created further overlap with other regions, including Valencia.
The situation was compounded by higher volumes from Turkey and late Moroccan melon, resulting in oversupply. According to the sector, around 30% of melon production and 35% of watermelon production remained surplus.
Data from Spain’s Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA) show that in 2025 almost 4 million kg of watermelon and 2 million kg of melon were withdrawn from the market, mainly for animal feed or free distribution through food banks.
This year, however, the outlook is more positive. Rainfall has helped replenish aquifers, and planted area in Castilla-La Mancha is expected to remain stable despite the economic difficulties suffered by growers last season.
Orange-flesh watermelon enters the spotlight
Product diversification is also gaining importance. Anecoop, one of Spain’s leading watermelon and melon operators, is launching its first commercial campaign for orange-flesh watermelon, with around 500 tonnes produced by three of its member cooperatives in Almería and Valencia.
The cooperative exports around 75% of the watermelon and melon produced by its members, mainly to other EU markets. According to Anecoop, the season has begun with limited supply, high farmgate prices and some competition from other origins still present in the market.
A campaign under close watch
The Spanish watermelon and melon sector is starting the season with stronger prices, lower early supply and less pressure from overseas origins. However, the experience of 2025 remains present, and operators are closely monitoring weather, regional overlaps, production costs and import dynamics.
For international buyers, the coming weeks will be key to assessing the availability, quality and price evolution of Spanish watermelon and melon as the campaign expands from greenhouse production in the south to open-field areas in Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha.
