E spaña: The blue cranberry germinates in the Sierra de Gata
The cultivation of blueberries takes root in Extremadura. Four years ago Jesús Alfonso López and his brother Miguel, aged 35 and 38, began looking for a plantation that would be profitable in small areas. Thus they found this fruit of the forest typical of other latitudes. They set out to plant blueberries in the Sierra de Gata and will soon harvest their first harvest.
These two Teaching graduates born in Valverde del Fresno always liked the countryside, hence they tried to find a crop compatible with the particularities of the territory they inhabit. They bet on this pioneering crop in the region after studying it and visiting several farms in Portugal. The largest blueberry producing area in Europe is Huelva. In Asturias there are also significant plantations, while in Extremadura there were only small crops in the Valle del Jerte and La Vera. They found that some areas of their region "offer an optimal microclimate: acidic soils, abundance of water, many hours of sunshine and cool nights in summer."
The varieties of blueberry or Blueberry used in the exploitation of the Sierra de Gata have been selected from wild plants native to the north of the United States. For now they have a plantation of just over one hectare, which, if all goes well, they will expand. As it is a "relatively young crop, with three years of sowing and four years of planting, the production has not been significant so far", points out Jesús, the owner of the farm.
Cacereño farmers have opted for four varieties that mature in stages, from June to August, to improve production times. They cannot yet foresee the number of kilos they will harvest, since the crop reaches its full yield in seven years, however, they estimate that they could collect around 20 percent of the production.
To launch the new company, Jesús Alfonso asked for help as a young farmer. The paperwork to update the plantation was "quite tedious, as this crop was not modulated in its day," he laments.
The fruit that comes out of the Sierra de Gata farm is intended for fresh consumption, but the flexibility of the blueberry stands out as proof of its commercial potential, since it is also consumed dehydrated. The main markets are Central Europe and the United Kingdom, however it is gaining ground in Spain. "Many hectares of blueberries are being planted in Portugal and in this sense, we do not know if the fruit will have the same output in the future, since the market may become saturated."
To start the crop, they had to acquire specific machinery for the planting phase. "The blueberry is planted on ridges, which in turn are covered with anti-grass mesh, with drip irrigation lines, thus, it is necessary to have tools to facilitate" these tasks.
Harvesting is a completely manual, laborious and delicate process. «The final quality of the fruit depends on it. That's why a lot of manpower is required. ' They estimate that when the crop is in full production they will need help from about seven people.
Regarding the machinery, although there are vibrators that shorten the harvesting time, they have the disadvantage that "they do not discriminate ripe fruit from that which is not yet ripe, throwing away a lot of blueberries that are not at their optimum ripeness point." Hence, they have opted for manual collection, thus creating more jobs. Having "already a somewhat significant production, our idea is to hire two or three workers in the field this year and possibly another person to help with maintenance tasks during the winter period." Regarding the care, the plant is quite resistant, but obviously requires a series of specific care, watering in summer and especially pruning in winter, to adapt them to the characteristics of each variety.
Although many variables influence, the breakeven point of a blueberry plantation "is reached in the fourth or fifth year, from then on it is considered profitable." To date it does not give them to live, but they believe that "it can be a perfectly valid crop for a family to live on, being a reasonable area". In his case, it would be a complement to several hectares of fig trees.
Jesús and Miguel assure that for now "the benefits of consuming blueberries are not well known due to their limited diffusion, but they are becoming increasingly fashionable precisely because of their fantastic properties."
Source: Hoy.es/agro
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