ashion (AGF), a conglomerate of 18 horticultural companies, expects its black seedless watermelon harvest to grow by 10% this year. The group, based in Adra, plans to start the harvest and trading of its flagship product on 25th April and aims to reach a total production of 70 million kilos.The group is currently selling watermelons imported from Senegal. Last season, AGF's turnover reached 28 million Euro, with 40% of it obtained from exports, mainly to Germany, France, Switzerland, England, Ireland, Scandinavia and Italy.
The corporation's new general director, José Enrique Moreno, who last month replaced José Cárdenas (Agrupaadra), is committed to maintaining the production levels of previous campaigns. "For us it is essential to maintain our operating programme and to try strengthening the balance between supply and demand," said the executive.
AGF pioneered the sale of seedless watermelons and now owns a total of 1,800 hectares in eleven provinces, mainly by the Mediterranean, with both open ground fields and greenhouses in Almeria, Granada, Alicante, Valencia, Tarragona, the Balearic Islands and Huesca.
Moreno revealed that the group is also considering the possibility of introducing new products. "We are experimenting, but it has to be an innovative product with which we can obtain a uniform production."
The AGF group arrived in 2006 with an innovative product, seedless watermelons, and nowadays it is the largest consortium. 18 companies currently form part of it (8,000 growers and 3,000 direct jobs), with global sales amounting to 900 million Euro.
The firm, which opened new headquarters in Adra last year, entered the international markets in 2010. In 2012 it had already become a leading company in Europe, with a watermelon production reaching 70,000 tonnes.
Some of the companies that form part of the group include Agrícola Navarro de Haro, Agro Almanzora, Agroejido, Agroponiente, Agrupaadra, Costa Almeria, EJIDOMAR, Indasol, Naturchoice and Murgiverde, which combined have a very extensive marketing calendar.
The province currently grows around 6,400 hectares of watermelons, which represents 40% of Spain's total acreage. The production's value last season reached 108 million Euro, with an average price of 0.30 Euro per kilo.
