The estimates were made by the Castilla-La Mancha union of co-operatives, Ucaman. Melon spokesman at the union Apolonio Moreno said the season had been 'ruinous' for growers as despite good quality and a production volume on a par with last season of 300,000tonnes, prices of euro0.09-0.12 a kilo were well below the cost of production of euro0.15.

Unseasonably poor summer weather in many coastal regions of Spain also depressed demand for Castilla-La Mancha's melon crop. Volumes exported to the UK from the region are not as great as those from other regions as most fruit is sourced from the Spanish south-east for the UK trade.

One reason for this could be the lack of organisation among growers in Castilla-La Mancha. According to Moreno, co-operatives represent only 10 per cent of production from the region leaving many growers more exposed to the vagaries of the marketplace.

Ucaman is already working on achieving a protected geographical indicator for Castilla-La Mancha melons for next season which it hopes will boost returns to growers and prevent fruit from other areas being passed off as from the region.

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