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After three tough years of unpredictable weather, Spain’s watermelon and melon growers finally have a reason to feel hopeful. With the summer fruit season just getting started and expected to run until October depending on the variety, producers are cautiously optimistic.

 

A recent meeting between the Ministry of Agriculture and the fruit sector brought a rare bit of good news: "the good harvest prospects for the 2025 campaign," thanks to recent rainfall and soaring temperatures.

 

That said, it’s not a full comeback just yet. The Ministry also pointed out "a slight reduction in the planted area" for both crops, which is down 1.8% for melons and 0.8% for watermelons compared to last year.

 

Still, there’s plenty of focus on reviving interest in these summer staples, with both officials and farmers stressing the need to "boost the consumption of fruits and vegetables."

 

And there’s momentum to build on. Spain produced more than 1.2 million tonnes of watermelon last year, edging out the 1.15 million in 2023 and 1.16 million in 2022. Melon numbers are still recovering, though: 2023 brought in 515,000 tonnes, slightly below 2022 and well off the high of 652,600 tonnes in 2021.

 

Spain remains one of the world’s top producers and exporters of melons and watermelons, moving around 1.14 million tonnes abroad in 2023 and raking in more than €900 million. Imports, mostly from Brazil, Senegal, Morocco and Mauritania, were also significant but far smaller in volume.

 

At home, appetite for these fruits is still strong. According to the latest figures from Mercasa, Spanish households consumed 331.8 million kilos of watermelon and 297 million kilos of melon last year. Per person, that’s around 7.1 kilos of watermelon and 6.3 kilos of melon. Combined spending topped €800 million in 2023.

 

"We will have top-quality watermelon and melon in every Spanish home," predicted Pere Roque, president of the stone fruit sector at Asaja.

 

He admits that "in recent years, there have been some drops in production due to the effects of climate change, with hailstorms affecting all production regions, both in Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha."

 

But now, he says, "quality will be excellent" thanks to recent warm spells.

 

Plácido Pérez of COAG agrees that conditions are looking up.

 

"The forecast is that with the current sunny weather and the lack of rain, it will set fruit in the coming days and there will be more production."

 

The positive forecast is helped along by better access to irrigation water, something growers struggled with last year, and with Morocco still battling a severe drought, there’s a great opportunity to encourage people to buy locally.

 

Now is a good time, Mr Pérez added, to enjoy melons and watermelons "made in Spain," "which have guaranteed production standards."

 

 

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