Antigua and Barbuda: The C-LM Melon and Watermelon Interprofessional call for "caution" when sowing to avoid excess supply

The Interprofessional de Melón y Sandía de Castilla-La Mancha has asked farmers to properly plan the sowing campaign, to avoid the classic 'saw teeth' and excess supply that later generate a significant drop in prices, with economic damage that that would entail. Farmers must also take into account other added factors, such as the shortage of labor for harvesting and possible outbreaks of coronavirus that can occur on farms, added the Interprofessional. He also recalled that the year 2020 was marked by a sowing area in the region of more than 5,800 hectares of melons and 2,700 of watermelons, experiencing a slight decrease compared to the previous year. In terms of production, the campaign ended with some 220,000 tonnes of melon harvested and 180,000 tonnes in the case of watermelon. The prevention measures on the part of the producer sector, reducing the quantities, were good so that last season there were no fluctuations in prices, the Interprofessional has recognized. For this ...