This is the innovative bid by Sol de Badajoz to bring its production forward by 15 days
In the world of fruit, arriving on the market early means a clear competitive advantage. And if this occurs with greater quality, the profitability is virtually guaranteed. This is what must have been behind the commitment by the giant company from Extremadura when starting up its latest project, the implementation of crop farms under glass to bring its production schedule forward 15 days. The pilot scheme will allow them to start harvesting at the beginning of May and it covers 50 hectares including the different plantations owned by the company, as confirmed by the sales manager, José Antonio Gomes. “We are carrying out trials with breathable canvas and we have determined that using this system we can obtain an improvement regarding earliness, flavour, Brix, size… as well as allowing a greater homogeneity in colour and uniformity to be obtained.” To all this is added the greater vegetable health, given that the physical barrier prevents the entry of insects, as well as protection against inclement weather conditions.
This new development is added to others that Sol de Badajoz has incorporated in previous campaigns. On the one hand, the concentrate and puree transformation line to take advantage of fruit with external blemishes, but that is in perfect organoleptic conditions. And on the other hand, the diversification in its range, with the addition of pomegranates (four years on its portfolio, with a variety renewal, backing greater internal and external colour) and persimmons (this will be its third year, with work being carried out at the central installations to add rooms with which to remove the astringency of this fruit).
More apricots and flat peaches
With this in mind, the company is facing up to an intense variety conversion, opting for materials with greater colour, more Brix and greater hardiness. Likewise, the “fruit from July and August has been removed and we have increased the volume of extra-early, early and late produce”, Gomes states. Regarding types, although its star product continues to be the plum, the company is increasingly opting for apricots (mainly with French orange and red coloured varieties) and flat peaches, and it is bringing back the yellow peach, a fruit that is returning to the national market along with the neighbouring Portuguese and Italian markets. “We are going to be the largest producers in this segment.”
In this campaign, Sol de Badajoz forecasts reaching 45 million kilos on 2,700 hectares. Amongst its main destinations are Portugal (30% of the total) and Poland, and other overseas destinations such as Brazil, Canada or Malaysia.
