The province’s watermelon production is set to increase slightly in 2025
Almería is forecasting a watermelon crop of 635,000 tonnes in 2025, representing a 2.5 per cent increase over last season. Planted area is expected to exceed 11,000ha, of which 75 per cent will be greenhouse production.
The figures were presented at the launch of the annual watermelon marketing campaign by Coexphal, the Association of Organisations of Fruit and Vegetable Producers of Almería. This is the sixth consecutive year the “La primera sandía Europea” (Europe’s first watermelon) campaign is being featured, this year under the slogan “There is no summer without…Europe’s first watermelon”.
The harvest kicks off with greenhouse-grown watermelons in the spring, before moving to outdoor crops in the summer.
Outlining the goals of the new campaign, Coexphal president Juan Antonio González, said: “We want to value the great work of thousands of farmers in Almería, who are great specialists in this product.
“Every year, the arrival of spring gives heralds Europe’s first watermelon, because it is the first to be grown and harvested within the European Union, with everything that entails from the perspective of taste, sustainability, safety and food sovereignty”.
Throughout its six years, the campaign has featured well-known singer David Bisbal, alongside other actors, communicators, chefs, athletes or influencers. This year’s promotion includes an advert that will run in 101cinemas across Spain and is planned to reach more than 75,000 spectators.
Over the last decade, Almería’s watermelon acreage has increased by 50 per cent, making it the province’s second most planted crop after peppers. Almería accounts for virtually all of Spain’s winter production of watermelon and half of the total planted area (outdoor and greenhouse). Around 54 per cent of the province’s production, equivalent to 341,200 tonnes, is exported.
