Learn About Melon Production In Spain
May 24, 2012 “De la terre a la vie – from earth to life.” That’s what it says on the cover of the brochure supplied to the ag journalists from around the world who attended the melon trip sponsored by Limagrain. The trip was held May 21 to 23 in Almeria, Spain.
In an address from Daniel Chèron, CEO of Limagrain, he said the operation is the fourth largest supplier of vegetable seeds in the world. Now included under the Limagrain umbrella are the three business units HM (Harris Moran) Clause, Hazera Nickerson, and Japan-based Mikado Kyowa Seed. Vilmorin is also part of the group. An international co-operative, Limagrain not only specializes in vegetable seeds, but field seeds and cereal products as well.
“Our goal is to build a strong research organization,” Chèron told the group. Research is clearly the name of the game for the operation – bringing vegetables from earth to life — as those attending the melon press trip were taken on tours of two HM Clause research facilities in the area as well as visits to two melon growers: one a greenhouse producer and one growing in an open field.
As greenhouse production is a major presence in Almeria, ag reporters were treated to the site of “seas of plastic” from greenhouses that literally went for miles as we motored from one place to another.
The name of the game for Limagrain, and HM Clause in particular, however, is that in order to continue to move forward, varieties of melons as well as other crops must offer the growers qualities, such as good yields, disease resistance, and long shelf life. Consumer attributes must be included, as well, and the biggest factor for consumers is taste.
“If you want to be a player in the melon market, you have to be diverse,” explained Denis Balen, HM Clause’s global product manager for melons. “Plus, you have to improve it by offering better resistance, shelf life, and eating quality.”
To find out more about the tours, watch a slide show and videos, be sure to check out the July issue of American Vegetable Grower and GrowingProduce.com
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