Spain: Kaki production to reach 650,000 tonnes in 2020

Kaki cultivation in Spain takes an area close to 17,000 hectares, nearly 90% of which are in Valencia.

In order to discuss the crop's future, Bayer's CropScience division organised the First Kaki Forum, which counted with the participation of nearly 300 producers, researchers and technicians from all over Spain. The meeting seeks to give a boost to technology transfer between the scientific community and the growers.

The Forum was divided into six thematic blocks dealing with the fruit: Entomology, Pathology, Machinery, Market-Export, Varieties and Bayer Solutions.

Alberto Urbaneja, coordinator of the Centre for Plant Protection and Biotechnology of the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), opened the block devoted to entomology, talking about the "Setting up of an integrated pest management program with kakis". During his talk, he outlined the latest developments in the integrated management program for this product which the IVIA is currently working on.

Urbaneja also made use of the Forum to launch the portal www.gipcaqui.ivia.es, developed in partnership with Bayer and which will report all innovations in the program's development.

Francisco Beitia, IVIA research scientist, spoke of the "Cotonet species affecting kakis and the importance of their correct identification." He noted that the sharp increase in the production of kakis in recent years has unfortunately been accompanied by an increase in the number of pests that affect them. In this regard, he said it is important to identify the specific pest species for a more effective treatment. He also noted that, in their investigations, they have recently detected a new pest, the Delotococcus aberiae, which could even cause serious issues to the exporters.

Meanwhile, Ferran García, professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), presented the "On-line Monitoring Network (UPV-BCS) for pests and natural enemies in Kaki: 2015 results." This is a network that is available to growers via the website of Bayer Agro Services.

For his part, Vicente Dalmau, Chief of Plant Health of the Government of Valencia, spoke of new pests affecting kaki crops, such as whitefly, and of alternatives for its control. He stated that this pest, which sucks the sap and weakens the tree, thereby taking a toll on the fruit's commercial quality, started to be a problem in 2015.

In his talk, Dalmau offered advice on methods to control this pest and guaranteed that work will continue in 2016 to ensure that no new areas are affected, while testing the effectiveness of different products for its treatment.

In the block devoted to pathology, Antonio Vicent, an IVIA researcher, spoke of the main fungal diseases affecting kakis and outlined some strategies for their control. In conclusion, he noted that although the phytosanitary situation of kakis in Spain is optimal compared to other countries, its expansion increases the risk of the introduction of new diseases. He argued that responsibility is the best ally in this case.

As regards the block devoted to machinery, Patricia Chueca, researcher at IVIA's Agricultural Engineering Centre, gave a presentation on the "Improvement in the efficiency of phytosanitary treatments in kakis." In this context, she stressed that this efficiency will largely depend on the weather, the pest's development stage and the equipment used.

Focusing on the application equipment, she highlighted the importance of calibration (speed, suitable pressure, number and orientation of the nozzles or air flow selection). She also spoke about solutions, such as the precision detection systems, and about the importance of adjusting the volume of application depending on the vegetation, the pest or the product used.

About 240,000 tonnes of kakis were produced in Spain in 2015. By 2020, that figure is expected to increase to 650,000 tonnes. The main challenge presented, according to Rafael Perucho, manager of the Protected Designation of Origin Kaki Ribera del Xúquer, it is to make the market grow at the same rate as production.

What is clear is that kakis are currently considered a good or very good product by the vast majority of consumers who are familiar with it. Almost 80% of them buy it because of its taste and almost 90% are willing to repeat the purchase. The biggest problem is the lack of knowledge about the fruit. For example, in Germany, the main foreign market, only 30% of consumers know it and, of that percentage, about 50% buy it. In Spain, approximately 60% of consumers are familiar with it.

Francisco Borrás, Deputy General Director of Anecoop, said that kakis are not a highly exported product at international level. Spain is the exception, since 70% of its production is sold overseas under the Persimon brand, owned by the PDO Kaki Ribera del Xúquer, making it possible for kakis to become THE autumn fruit. He also noted that, very often, when a household starts buying the fruit, it is there to stay.

Given the huge increase in production expected in five years, Borrás has identified a series of measures for an effective management: quality segmenting, diversification of the presentations, consolidation of a five-month campaign and the opening of new markets.