Rain Delays Melon Harvest in Murcia

The Region of Murcia’s melon and watermelon campaign has slipped by about a week after recent rain interrupted harvesting plans and late plantings, according to growers and exporters. Felipe López, managing director of Murcia cooperative Gregal and a representative of the vegetable sector at FECOAM, said the cooperative had expected to begin melon harvesting this week. Instead, López said, the season is now expected to start in calendar week 22, with watermelon season beginning in mid-June. Murcia is one of Spain’s main spring and summer melon-producing areas, and the delay matters because the region supplies both the domestic market and export customers across Europe. Growers said the rain has reduced early availability rather than wiping out the campaign, with planting from February through April otherwise proceeding without major problems. López said the cooperative still expects staggered and balanced production, with yields similar to last season. (freshplaza.de) ### Why did one week of delay matter for Murcia’s early crop? Recent rainfall in Murcia pushed back the start of harvesting by around a week and also brought late melon plantings to a standstill, López said. He added that the interruption was more disruptive for the continuity of early potato harvesting in Cartagena, but melon fields were also affected as growers waited for land and plants to recover. (freshplaza.de) A 2025 sector interview with José Cánovas, president of the Melon and Watermelon Growers’ Association of Murcia, described how rain-related planting interruptions can create an initial shortage window followed by lower yields in subsequent weeks. Cánovas said companies in Murcia had previously lost 10 to 14 days of planting because of rain, showing how weather disruptions can quickly affect the timing of supply in the region. (freshplaza.de) ### What are Murcia growers saying about volumes and yields? Felipe López said this year’s cooler spring and higher rainfall mean the season will begin later, though with yields similar to the previous campaign. He said last year’s larger delay led to more fruit arriving in July than growers wanted, while this year’s schedule should still allow for more orderly production if weather stabilizes. (fruittoday.com) Gregal produces and markets about 90,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, with around 40,000 tonnes of that volume in spring and summer melons, mainly Galia, honeydew and cantaloupe, plus smaller volumes of Piel de Sapo. The cooperative said most of that fruit is medium- and small-sized and is sold both in Spain and abroad. (freshplaza.de) ### Which markets are most exposed to the Murcia delay? Gregal said most of its production is destined for export, with Germany its leading market, followed by the United Kingdom through subsidiary Gregal UK, and then France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic. That makes timing important not only for Spanish retailers but also for northern European buyers waiting for Murcia’s outdoor crop. (freshplaza.de) Proexport, the Murcia-based growers and exporters association, says it represents 50 member companies that lead fruit and vegetable exports from the region and nearby provinces. In a 2025 campaign outlook, sector participants said the planted area for melons and watermelons in Murcia totaled about 10,500 hectares, with expected output around 550,000 tonnes. ### Is the delay changing competition with other Spanish regions? (freshplaza.de) López said the later Murcia start should reduce overlap with Almería’s season, which he said is also running somewhat behind schedule. He added that Almería’s melon and watermelon campaign had started well, but prices had suffered because poor weather in key export markets weakened consumption. (proexport.es) Fruitnet reported earlier this month that outdoor harvesting in Murcia had been expected to begin around May 10, with peak season delayed until after May 15. That timeline helps explain why another week of rain now shifts the effective commercial start of the Murcia campaign closer to late May. ### What happens next for exporters and buyers? (freshplaza.de) Calendar week 22 is the next milestone for Murcia melon growers, based on López’s timetable for Gregal’s harvest start. Gregal said it has also resumed watermelon production this year after a 15-year pause and, through supply contracts with growers in Castilla-La Mancha, plans to supply melons and watermelons from late May to mid-September. (fruitnet.com) European buyers will be watching whether warmer weather lifts consumption in Germany, the United Kingdom and other export markets as Murcia fruit reaches packing lines. López said the market needs sunny weather in those countries to recover demand as the region moves from delayed field access to regular harvest volumes. (freshplaza.de)