In 2014, Turkey's watermelon production was almost five times greater than Spain's, according to data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).
Turkey also grows more watermelons than the entire European Union (EU) combined, namely 44.3 percent more. The country's watermelon production has remained stable over the past ten years at about 3,800 million kilos.
The EU's watermelon production stood at 2,692.5 million kilos. In this context, Spain ranks first with 858.6 million kilos, followed by Greece with 632.3 and Romania with 474.2 million kilos.
The fourth position corresponds to Italy with 453.1 million kilos, while Hungary ranks fifth, as it produced 148.5 million kilos of watermelons in 2014.
The Spanish production accounts for 31.89 percent of the EU's total and 22.09 percent of that produced by Turkey.
In Spain, Almeria is, by far, the largest producer compared to other provinces. It grows 61.22 percent of the country's total, with a total of 525.67 million kilos in the 2014/2015 campaign.
Acreage
The EU devotes a total of 76,200 hectares to the cultivation of watermelons, while Turkey has 95,000 hectares.
Looking at the European Union's largest producers, Spain has 17,900 hectares devoted to the crop. Almeria, which grows more than half of the Spanish production, has only 8,500 hectares. The average yield obtained in Spain was of 4.8 kilos per square metre, while that of Almeria reaches 6.18 kilos per square metre.
As for the acreage of the other largest producers, Greece devoted 13,000 hectares, with a yield per square metre of 4.86 kilos; Romania, with 21,600 hectares, achieved a yield of 2.19 kilos per square metre. For its part Italy, which devoted 11,400 hectares, obtained a yield of 3.97 kilos per square metre. Lastly, the EU's fifth largest watermelon producer, Hungary, devoted 6,600 hectares to the crop, with a yield of 2.25 kilos per square metre.
