Fewer (water)melons, but more Spanish vegetables on the European market

It has been a rough summer in Central Europe and the rain and low temperatures have had a major impact on the consumption of fruit and vegetables. While the consumption of melons and watermelons has fallen sharply, the demand for lettuce and other vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower from Spain is high. The producer prices of these vegetables were therefore at a much higher level than in recent years. In statements to the Spanish news service Efeagro, Antonio Moreno, responsible for the Fruit department within the UPA growers' association, described the course of the watermelon season since July as a disaster. Then the marketing of the open field products from Almería started. Now the cultivation is on its last legs in the Murcia region, where at certain times the growers received only 5 to 6 cents for their fruit, far below the production cost. It is still too early for a final balance of the season in Castilla-La Mancha, because the harvest is still in full swing there. ...