'No summer is complete without watermelon' advert to hit Spanish cinemas

Almeria's association of fruit and vegetable producers, Coexphal, has presented, for the sixth year running, its summer advertising campaign to promote watermelons grown in the province, which will be shown in cinemas across the country. In total, the advert will be shown in 101 cinemas and is expected to reach more than 75,000 viewers.

This year's slogan: "No summer without.... The first European watermelon", aims to highlight the importance of the fruit in summer in Spain. The advertisement is a journey down memory lane and shows images that evoke summer in Andalucía.

The campaign focuses on watermelons grown in Almeria's solar greenhouses during the spring, later extending to outdoor crops. "These watermelons are ready to refresh millions of Europeans, offering exceptional quality in terms of flavour and food safety," president of Coexphal, Juan Antonio González Real, said.

He explained the aim of the promotional campaign: "We want to highlight the great work of thousands of farmers in Almeria who are great specialists in this product. Every year, when spring arrives, the first European watermelon is born, because it is the first to be grown and harvested within the European Union, with all that this entails in terms of flavour, quality, sustainability and safety. First in our solar greenhouses and then in the open air, we bring summer forward through one of its most genuine and traditional flavours," he said.

González also pointed out that there would be no watermelons without Almeria's greenhouses or "without the magnificent work of our farming families," who are at the centre of the advertisement, which features celebrities including the singer David Bisbal, actors, chefs, sportsmen and women and influencers.

Watermelon in figures 

By 2025, the area under watermelon cultivation in Almeria is expected to exceed 11,000 hectares, 75% of which corresponds to greenhouse production. The total estimated production will be around 635,000 tonnes.

In the last decade, the area dedicated to watermelon cultivation has increased by 50%, making it the second product in Almeria province with the largest surface area after peppers.

Almeria represents 91% of the winter production area in Spain, 50% of the total area (open air and greenhouse) cultivated in the country and 52% of the national production. In addition, 54% of the crop, equivalent to 341,200 tonnes, is destined for export.

Juan Carlos Pérez Mesa, co-director of Coexphal, explained that "if Almeria were a country, it would be the second largest watermelon exporter in the world, only behind Mexico (538,465 tonnes) and ahead of Italy (301,144 tonnes)". Furthermore, he added that "almost 50% of watermelon exports from Almeria are destined for Germany".

Almeria is the main exporting province in Spain, with 43% of total exports, followed by Murcia (23%) and Valencia (13%). Watermelon is the third most exported fruit and vegetable in volume in Spain, after oranges and peppers.

The province is therefore positioned as the main exporting area to Europe (EU countries and the UK) in April, reaching its maximum share of 44% in May. In particular, Almeria is the main exporting area to Germany in May (51%) and June (36%).

According to the minister of agriculture, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, who attended the premiere of the advertisment, 10,905 hectares of watermelon are expected to be cultivated this season 2024-2025 compared to 10,750 hectares last season, an increase of 2% thanks to an increase of 215 hectares. As far as production is concerned, the forecast is around 631,000 tonnes of watermelon, around 12,000 tonnes more, another 2% increase. "Positive figures that denote growth," he pointed out, while noting that "crop quality is in the DNA of Almeria's growers".

Juanjo Segura, Almeria city's councillor for agriculture, highlighted the work of Almeria's farmers who each season have to deal with numerous inconveniences, including the continuous rains in March, in order to continue to obtain top quality produce.