The Spanish province of Lleida has suffered two hailstorms over the past two weeks, which affected more than 7,000 hectares of fruit trees, causing multimillion losses.
Situations like this are increasingly less sustainable for growers, especially now that agricultural insurance costs are expected to increase as a result of the Government's subsidy reductions. This is leading to the creation of alternatives. "Maybe the only solution will be to cover the crops with nets and meshes to protect and maintain the production," explains Joan María Pareta, manager of Redes Técnicas Novafrut.
Novafrut was founded by Joan María Pareta, an agronomist who started his career as an apple producer in the Catalan province of Girona. "15 years ago, I discovered that many producers in France covered their crops with nets to protect them against winds, hail, rains or solar radiation," he explains. "I started distributing nets from a French company in Spain, when there was still no interest in such a type of protection. 4 years later, I founded this company, which is already 11 years old."
Novafrut specialises in all kinds of net and sheet installations, whether for fruits and vegetables or for ornamental plants, private gardens and orchards, farms and fisheries, public areas, the industrial sector and other businesses.
Through his experience as a producer, Joan María knows that the area of Girona is very prone to suffering strong winds, and with the need to counteract such effects, the first Novafrut meshes were installed, which also acted as a protection against hail and solar radiation.
Meshes and nets have advantages and disadvantages, according to Joan Maria Pareta. "Spain receives too much solar radiation, which can damage the fruit. Through the use of meshes and nets it is possible to obtain a microclimate able to keep its moisture, consequently leading to a reduced need for irrigation. This, however, can reduce the plant's stress and accelerate the tree's vegetative growth. This makes it essential to find the right balance."
The use of nets and meshes can also advance or delay the harvest periods, which can be of great interest. "This can be very useful for producers seeking to sell their products during commercial windows when the best prices can be obtained."
According to Joan Maria Pareta, Girona has around 40% of its acreage devoted to apples, pears and stone fruit covered by nets, while Lleida barely reaches 5% and in the rest of Spain the percentage goes down to less than 2%. The market for these products has a lot of untapped potential, "as just preventing the productivity and quality losses caused by the wind can already cover the initial investment needed to install these infrastructures," he affirms.
Novafrut is presenting its latest products at the 7th International Cherry Symposium, held during this entire week in the town of Plasencia. The firm's promotional activities will focus on its anti-rain sheets, developed in partnership with specialised associated firms in France, Italy and Austria.
For more information:
Joan Maria Pareta
Redes Técnicas Novafrut
T: +34 972 51 06 85
M: +34 610201916
[email protected]
www.redestecnicas.com