Organic is booming, and Spanish growers have also gotten word of this. Andalusia is the region with the biggest organic acreage in Europe. But the natural pastures and extensive productions like tomatoes are also counted among this 700,000 hectare organic acreage. The total greenhouse acreage is estimated to be around 4%.
Organic ‘on the side’More and more cooperatives, like Unica, Vicasol and Canalex do organic ‘on the side’. There are also large specialized companies, like Bisabor (170 ha) with a revenue of 20 million Euro. The company realizes an annual revenue increase of 25%. But smaller growers are also switching. For instance, Spanish grower Francisco Gonzalez and his family grows in various greenhouses on a total acreage of 2 hectares. On half of that, 1 hectare, in Balerma (El Ejido) he started with organic block peppers a few years ago. “We realize that horticulture cannot continue like this, and that’s one of the reasons why we switched to organic cultivation.”
Biodynamic
Some Spanish growers take things a step further, by focusing on biodynamic greenhouse vegetables. One example is Francisco Martinez, technical manager of Bio-Campojoima. The cooperative itself has 60 hectares of organic production, and also markets 70 hectares from other growers. “Biodynamic agriculture requires more attention from the grower, but on the other hand it’s valued more highly in the market. In the organic segment, biodynamic products are becoming a market of their own. The prices are good and stable.”
Other growers noticed that as well. According to Richard Soepenberg of Frunet Bio, a massive switch to organic is happening. “We’re on an organic tide that hasn’t turned yet. This year, 40-50% more has been planted in organic. That’s huge. We’re experiencing the same growth as is happening nationwide. We’re forced to do this because of the increasing demand from our clients. If we don’t do that, some clients will take up too big of a share of our sales, and we don’t want that,” he said at Fruit Attraction.
Not a budget productFrunet supplies the entire greenhouse vegetable range organically, with the cherry tomatoes being by far the most important. The company has ten hectares of own production in Malaga, and works with another forty or so growers in Almeria, for whom the entire sales are handled exclusively. Richard does have his doubts about the organic acreage growing too fast. “Of course I’m pleased with the increasing demand for organic products, but sometimes I’m afraid of things going too fast. That’s not the case now, because prices are good at the start of this season as well. But if we get overproduction in organic, prices for organic and conventional will be too close to each other. Organic has added value, is healthier and has a right to a higher price. Organic produce shouldn’t be a budget product.”
That same fear was expressed before by Gert Kögeler on FreshPlaza.com: “One hectare of organic cucumbers is too much, could cause a difficult market situation. The supply needs to be largely pre-programmed, otherwise you end up in a surplus market, and that's not good for anyone. For instance, in Spain, organic greenhouse cultivation is increasing significantly, but for each product, that happens rather impulsively. If a certain crop doesn't do well, next year they'll immediately grow less of it, or more in case of a good market. In that respect, Dutch organic cultivation is a lot more constant.”
Switching is simple
“Spanish organic cultivation is growing both in the greenhouse and the open field. With greenhouse vegetables, there will be more supply from various large exporters and new growers who have switched. The step from conventional to organic is a small one, so bit by bit it’s expanding fast,” Cees van Vugt of Marni Organics confirms. By contrast, Dutch greenhouse vegetable cultivation doesn’t seem to want to grow along with the market. “It’s not easy to find ‘switchers’,” Siem van der Valk of BioWorld, the organic branch of the Best Fresh Group, said earlier. “Switching can easily take two years in the Netherlands. In countries like Spain, where cultivation is already done in the field, it’s easier to switch. Many Dutch growers don’t have the reserves to bridge those years.”
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Frunet
Richard Soepenberg