Hortalizas San Luis already has 1,000 hectares of production to supply its customers 12 months a year
During this year, the company Hortalizas San Luis Sociedad Cooperativa OPFH 1105 forecasts reaching 20 million kilos of broccoli (98% fresh and 2% for industry) marketed under its brand name San Luis, redirecting the 10% growth curve it has been experiencing for the past 3 years. Additionally, within its most immediate projects, it is finalising the preparations to launch its ‘bio’ broccoli line next year. “Our production will start in 2019,” advances the company’s manager, Luis Jimenéz. The area chosen to start up this project is Baza, one of the eight locations where the company from Lorca has its broccoli production, with a total of 1,000 hectares.
This diversification in the crops is aimed at optimising the harvest at the different times of the year (they produce 12 months of the year), avoiding the problems of each date, along with the difficulties caused by the drought. “We have the climate, but not the water. There is not enough and it is becoming more and more expensive”, Jiménez confirms. But the changing weather conditions do not only affect the availability of water. Another of the consequences is the rise in temperatures in the destination countries, which has meant a lengthening of their own harvests. “Other years in October, 100% of the broccoli being purchased was from Spain and during this campaign this has not been the case.”
To guarantee the productions, the company is opting for varieties from the reference seed company in this area, Sakata. “It offers us higher yields than others, and with very good quality, as well as the fact that they continue evolving, adapting to the weather conditions in the different regions.”
Its market share centres on the European Union (with the United Kingdom at the head), Eastern countries and it has a small percentage of sales in the Arab Emirates, where consumption continues to rise.
