The harvest of sweet, organic and biodynamic fruit has already started for the Lleida-based company Fruit Nature. "We have started with the Limonera pear and this week we will begin with the Conference pear, which will be followed by Elliot and Golden apples and all the other varieties," says Eduard Reixachs, manager of the company, which is a member of the Agrocultura Con Respeto association.
"It is worth noting that this year, in which pears in general, but especially the Conference, have suffered flowering problems in this fruit-growing area, our biodynamic plantations have not experienced this issue; in fact, it has been much less noticeable than in nearby conventional fields."
"I can't say that all biodynamic fruit has fared better than conventional fruit when it comes to the flowering issue, because we only have our own experience, but the fact is that while our production of Conference pears will be only about 25% smaller than a normal one, with very good calibers, in a field immediately next to our biodynamic farms, which is conventionally grown, practically nothing will be harvested," says Eduard.
"We actually used to be conventional growers, but years ago, we decided to switch to organic. Seeing that it was possible to grow fruit differently, without the use of so many phytosanitary products and fertilizers, and after learning about biodynamic agriculture, we decided to grow Demeter fruit," he says. "Maybe you lose a bit in terms of sizes or quantity of fruit per hectare, or you get fruit with more russeting, but you obtain a product with a taste and sugar levels that conventional ones don't have, and there is the satisfaction of knowing that you are producing fruit that is fully environmentally and people-friendly."
"As far as the prices of Demeter fruit are concerned, they have remained fairly stable over the last three years, and we expect this trend to continue this year. However, in my opinion, what is needed is not for prices to be very high, but for sufficient volumes to be marketed."
"This year, we have already seen with pears how necessary this is. Despite the high prices at the beginning of the season and the high Italian demand, there were people who decided to keep the fruit in storage to try selling it at even higher prices in May, and in the end, they had to supply it to the juice industry, because they couldn't find a market for it."
Fruit Nature's biodynamic production is exported in its entirety to France. "Until December/January, we sell organic pears and apples in Spain, but after that we start selling to the French market, as their national production runs out."
"I wish we Spaniards did the same, that we gave priority to our own production before consuming imported produce. I also hope the Spanish biodynamic agriculture association, or Demeter, will be willing to promote biodynamic products in our market."
"No private or family business, as in our case, can do this work alone. It's a pity that no investments are being made in promotion, which would be beneficial for the sector itself, and that 100% of the biodynamic fruit and vegetables grown in Spain leave our borders without Spanish consumers having a chance to enjoy such an exceptional quality product.
For more information:
Fruit Nature
Calle Generalitat, 22, 25242 Miralcamp
Lleida, Spain
Tel.: +34 667 937 011
Email: [email protected]
https://fruitnaturesat.com