The Spanish stone fruit season is starting in Extremadura, where Frutas Biomova has just begun harvesting its biodynamic fruit. "We are going to have good production volumes of all fruits, except for the first nectarines that are harvested in May," says Jesús Moreno, of the Valdelacalzada-based company specialized in biodynamic agriculture. "At the time of the flowering of the earliest nectarines there were frosts in the area that caused temperatures to drop to -5 degrees. We have been lucky that this year the flowering has been delayed in all the trees and, therefore, only that early variety has been lost."
"By the end of May, in week 21, we will already have nectarines available with a Brix of up to 16 degrees. We will also be harvesting peaches around the second week of June, as well as plums and flat peaches of exceptional quality. Today we have already started harvesting our biodynamic apricots of the Nestor variety, which are reaching up to 17 degrees Brix, according to our tests."
Frutas Biomova is not limited to the production and marketing of its Demeter-certified fruit. "We have already prepared the factory for the production of cremogenates and purees," says Jesús. "With these new products, we aimed to make good use of all the fruit that cannot be marketed. In the organic sector there is a slightly higher amount of discards than in the conventional sector; fruit that has been damaged and has small bruises, but is still of high quality. We have set up a processing line to give that fruit a second life. This year, we have also launched pomegranate juice made 100% from squeezed fruit, without any additives or sweeteners. Each 250 ml of pomegranate juice is made from one kilo of ripe fruit, and everyone who tastes it is amazed by its flavor and, above all, its sweetness."
Jesús at Fruit Logistica 2023.
The cremogenates and purees are marketed in 200 kilo containers and are intended for the production of all kinds of organic fruit products. Just like fresh fruit, these will be almost entirely exported. "Our products reach destinations like Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands or France. Unfortunately, the consumption of organic products isn't as high in Spain as in those other countries, and biodynamic products are hardly known."
This year, moreover, inflation - which has been pretty high for food across the board in Europe - has had a clear impact on organic consumption. "Some report drops of 25 to 30%," but not everyone is equally affected by this decline. "Some of our customers in Europe, with whom we have been working for 25 years now, say that they see good prospects for the future, and claim also that biodynamic food consumption continues to do well. We mostly hear these comments from customers in wholesale markets and markets specializing in quality and flavor, who rely on us for their fruit supply."
In Spain, there is still room for organic consumption, and even for biodynamic consumption, to grow, but official institutions should be providing more support, says Jesús. "We need initiatives to promote organic food in schools, so that children, who are the consumers of the future, have a greater knowledge about organic agriculture."
For more information:
Biomova
Tel.: +34 618 096 349
[email protected]
https://biomova.com