MADRID: Senegalese watermelon campaign has recently kicked off and production with a good taste quality can already be purchased in some Spanish supermarkets and fruit stores. Although the volume available in the market is still not significant, larger volumes are expected within ten or fifteen days, since at this time, they are still on the way by boat, en route to Spanish ports.
Senegalese melons and watermelons have become quite popular in recent years, especially in the Spanish market. Many marketers have decided to supply Senegal’s products. In fact, a number of auctions have already announced on their websites that they will have Senegalese melons and watermelons this year.
With so many companies producing or buying watermelons in Senegal, industry sources warn that there could eventually be market saturation, since at this time of the year, the demand for watermelons is not very high, at least compared to the summer months, due to the still mild temperatures.
“There is uncertainty in the sector about whether the market will be able to absorb such an amount of watermelons and how this will affect prices. In fact, the Spanish watermelon campaign (in Almeria) could start with lower prices compared to the previous year,” warns a Spanish marketer.
With regard to melons, there are supermarket chains and wholesalers who prefer to wait for the harvest to start in Murcia.
