Spain led the world in watermelon exports in 2022, with shipments of $533 million, according to Eurostat data.
Where did those sales go? Mainly to European nations, in descending order: Germany (US$200 million), France (US$93 million), the United Kingdom (US$45 million), the Netherlands (US$30 million) and Sweden (US$21 million).
Globally, other relevant exporters are Morocco, Iran, the United States, Mexico, the Netherlands and Italy.
Previously, Spanish watermelon exports showed the following sequence: 2019 ($466 million), 2020 ($508 million) and 2021 ($555 million).
Watermelon is a large, fleshy and juicy fruit (more than 90% of watermelon is water), with numerous seeds, almost spherical, greenish, pink or red flesh, and generally sweet taste (more rarely yellow and bitter).
According to the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, watermelon is an ancient fruit whose origin is in tropical Africa. Its cultivation dates back some 3,500 years, in the Nile Valley, as evidenced by hieroglyphs and sculptures found in ancient Egypt.
Since there are no records of watermelon in classical antiquity, its introduction into the Greco-Roman world is thought to have been rather late.
Watermelon exports
The Arabs were great consumers of this fruit to which they attributed detoxifying properties. Europeans brought watermelon to America, where its cultivation spread throughout the continent.
Watermelon is highly appreciated for being refreshing and rich in water and salts. Specifically, it is the fruit that contains the greatest amount of water (95% of its weight), so it provides very little energy and, in general, few nutrients, although it contains significant amounts of various vitamins and minerals. For all these reasons it is very useful for slimming diets.
To take into account: the most remarkable in its composition is its content in carotenoids without provitamin activity (lutein and lycopene), among which lycopene stands out, since it is found in a high quantity, being this food one of the main dietary sources of the phytochemical.
Numerous studies have associated the consumption of lycopene with a lower risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases, since it lowers blood cholesterol levels (by decreasing the synthesis of endogenous cholesterol) and inhibits the oxidation of the LDL-cholesterol fraction, and with protection against some types of cancer such as cervix, prostate, lung, breast and digestive tract (colon, rectum, esophagus, stomach, pharynx, etc.).
On the other hand, its high water content stimulates the kidneys to work more efficiently, facilitating the elimination of waste substances and toxins, and improving kidney function.
