Tenerife farmer sells 8,000 kilos of watermelons after video appeal goes viral

A 26-year-old farmer from La Laguna in the north of Tenerife is still trying to come to terms with the fact that he has sold 8,000 kilos of watermelons that he had produced on his farm in Tejina, in just three days after making a video appealing for local support otherwise he’d have to throw them all away.

Sergio Rodríguez confessed "I received hundreds of calls in a few hours, people turned to me and it has been crazy," after managing to sell so many in record time.

It all started with a video that he shared on his social media, which little by little was shared until it became a true viral phenomenon. The young farmer was worried and disappointed that he could not sell such a quality product, saying that "People prefer watermelons from the mainland and Morocco.”

What he did not expect was the response from the public in such a massive way, as calls flooded in, “I couldn’t answer all the calls and messages because I was working. A pharmacy asked me for 250 kilos to give to their customers, but the rest of the people came to our grocery store and some were queuing for hours, "says Sergio, owner of Frutas y Verdura Nito, in Tejina. There, this weekend hundreds of residents from all over the island paraded to show their solidarity for the Canarian product.

“Many farmers in the area contacted us to help them sell their produce, and that's how it will be now, in these difficult times we have to be united.”

One of the people who expressed solidarity with Sergio Rodríguez was the mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, who shared the news of his plea on his social media and also asked for people to value the Canary Islands primary sector. “It is very important to support producers from our island, and the example of this young man from La Laguna is very important. It has to serve as an example to highlight the importance of local consumption, of proximity, which is also of the highest quality.”

Now, after the hangover of the success of the appeal, Sergio won’t take a break he will be up early every day to work the land. However, he is convinced that what has happened will help to raise awareness about the importance of supporting local business because many families depend on it who work tirelessly so that the population can have quality products at home, respectful of the environment and help the local economy.