The Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Agricultores y Ganaderos (COAG) of Almeria has welcomed the launch of the 'No cortes en verde' ('No green cutting') inspection campaign by the Junta de Andalucia's Territorial Delegation for Agriculture, timed to coincide with the start of the watermelon and melon harvest in the province. The organization is clear, however, that the campaign needs to go further. "Action must be taken with equal force against other factors that distort the market," it said.
"COAG Almeria insists that the core problem does not lie at the farm level, but in the lack of control over the marketing chain, specifically over who decides when the cut is made on both melon and watermelon operations." The agricultural organization has also called on the regional Agriculture Ministry to "exercise rigorous control over produce coming in from third countries, such as Senegal, during the opening weeks of the season."
Andres Gongora, provincial secretary of COAG Almeria, put it directly: "It is not coherent to concentrate all efforts on inspecting farmers while allowing fruit from third countries to enter without the same level of scrutiny on quality controls, labeling, and production conditions." The organization has flagged the arrival of watermelon from Senegal, Mauritania, and Brazil, which is landing in Spain at the same time as the Almeria campaign gets underway.
Importers and trading companies in the crosshairs
COAG Almeria warns that these imports are creating "a situation of unfair competition that directly harms producers in the province, by introducing product into the market that does not meet the same quality standards required of European production." The scope of the 'No cortes en verde' campaign must therefore extend beyond farms, the organization argues, "because it is the trading companies that ultimately determine the moment of cutting and the timing of product entering the market."
"It is essential to understand that the farmer does not unilaterally decide when the watermelon or melon is cut. It is the trading companies that set the pace of harvesting based on market needs. So if the real aim is to prevent the commercialization of under-ripe fruit, inspections have to extend to those companies," Gongora said.
COAG Almeria is calling on the regional government to reinforce controls across the entire value chain, "including warehouses, handling facilities, and trucks and weighing points for bulk product leaving the province, as well as stricter oversight of low-quality imported produce entering the province's commercial circuits."
The 'No cortes en verde' campaign
Almeria leads spring watermelon and melon production in the European Union. For the current 2025-2026 season, projections point to more than 10,000 hectares under watermelon and close to 3,000 under melon, figures slightly above the previous year. "This leadership makes the province the first in Europe to begin harvesting, which also exposes it to the early arrival of imported product that does not meet our quality standards."
The organization notes that the 'No cortes en verde' campaign has been running for more than two decades, with the primary objective of guaranteeing the quality levels that distinguish Almeria's horticultural produce in European markets. "Almeria watermelon and melon are the first to reach the market across the entire European Union, which gives producers in the province a responsibility and an added value that cannot be underestimated at source."
COAG Almeria will actively participate in the campaign, providing farmers and consumers with channels to report irregularities. The hotline numbers made available by the Almeria Agriculture Delegation for reporting quality issues with melons and watermelons are:
- 950-01-10-33
- 950-01-10-34
- 950-01-10-23
"Only through comprehensive oversight covering production, commercialization, and imports will it be possible to ensure the proper development of the season, protect Almeria's producers, and preserve the reputation of its watermelon and melon as differentiated quality products," the organization concluded.
For more information:
COAG Almeria
C/ Zurgena, 4. 04738 Vícar (Almeria)
T. 950 554 433 / 687 552 041
www.coagalmeria.com
