Quality and internationalization, keys to the future for the melon and watermelon sector in CLM

The commitment to quality and internationalization are key to the future of the melon and watermelon sector in Castilla-La Mancha, as it emerges from the Workshop “Vertebration and organization of the Melon and Watermelon sector in Castilla-La Mancha”, recently celebrated in the Cooperativa Santiago Apóstol de Tomelloso (Ciudad Real), by Agro-food Cooperatives Castilla-La Mancha.

The purpose of this initiative is to inform, inter alia, the changes and trends of the domestic and foreign market

The target public of this day have been formed b y responsibles for cooperatives in the region that sell watermelon and melon, rectors and technicians of the same, mainly.

The sectoral spokesman for Melón and Sandía de Cooperativas, José Ángel Serrano, who participated actively in the day, said after the end of the same that “we have come to the conclusion that the sector not to lose market share must bet by quality in a united and grouped way”.

This commitment to quality should not affect the current production, “at no time is there talk of reducing planting, but rather of achieving a greater export of our product in the international market, mainly in the European market, and in order to liberate our interior market of volumes that being very concentrated in a certain period of the year, are not commercialized and absorbed by the internal market”, clarifies the sectoral spokesman of Cooperatives.

Exports of watermelon, ahead of those of melon

The beginning of the day has been run by Cooperatives, María Ángeles Fernández, who presented the workshop and reviewed the market situation and the predictable scenario facing the sector today, highlighting “the increase in the export of watermelon, a summer fruit in which Castilla-La Mancha plays an important role and from which Spain in the 2016 campaign has exported more than 700,000 tons, a figure that is above the export of Melon, which in the same year reached just over 400,000 tons“.

The coordinator of the National Research Project on the New Delhi virus, Dirk Janssen, then addressed the paper “Threats and responses to the New Delhi virus”, which concluded with a clear message: “The best way to avoid this virus is prevention and the good management in the production “.

Then José Antonio Zafra, manager of melon toad skin and watermelon, and Manuel Fernandez, white meat melon improver, both belonging to Seeds Fitó, have explained the “New varieties of melon: quality versus quantity”. His message has been clear: “Bet for quality but with profitability and improve the sector through professionalization”.

The Priority Associative Entities in the melon and watermelon sector, in charge of the Cooperative Legal Department technician, Eva Valls, have also explained the need for “one of the objectives of integration to be increase marketing and reduce costs”.

Finally, the round table “The Interprofessional of the Melon and the Watermelon as a tool of dynamization and improvement” took place, in which the sectoral spokesperson for melons and watermelon of Cooperatives, José Ángel Serrano, and the president of the Interprofessional of the Melon and the Watermelon of Castilla-La Mancha, Cristóbal Jiménez. He underlined the importance of this figure to unite and organize the producer and marketer sector, and thus be able to jointly address the important challenges that it has raised in matters of internal regulation, promotion and research.

This day has been sponsored by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Community of Castilla-La Mancha, and has had the collaboration of GlobalCaja, Cooperativa Santiago Apóstol, Interprofessional Melon and Watermelon , CooperActiva Foundation, SIC Agroalimentaria and Semillas Fitó.

Source: CLM Agro-food Cooperatives

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