With the Orri mandarin production and marketing campaign in full swing, the producers association, Orri Running Committee (ORC), has organised the first technical workshop on the variety's cultivation.
"The market dictates that it is the best mandarin variety at this time of the year, which is reflected in the prices. The aim is to showcase the tools necessary to meet the market expectations and obtain a premium product with a superior quality," states Guillermo Soler, general manager of ORC.
Spain and Portugal are the only two countries authorised to produce the Orri in the Mediterranean basin, in addition to Israel itself, the country where the variety was bred. "Those who know how to cultivate them are able to produce mandarins of equal quality to the Orri of Israel," affirms Guillermo Soler. "The production of this variety in Spain is still relatively new, so it is important for growers to learn how to take advantage of the variety's differentiated qualities."
The workshops will focus on techniques aimed at optimising the production of Orri farms by improving the fruit setting. Some of these cultivation techniques include girdling or treatments with plant hormones.
To this end, two experts in the variety's cultivation techniques, Vicente Pascual, who has extensive knowledge about the Orri in the area of the Region of Valencia and Murcia, and Juanma Dasí, with extensive experience with this mandarin in the area of Andalusia, will be in charge of these training talks, which will deal with issues of special importance to improve the quality of Orri mandarins, such as the different patterns available in the market and their impact on the fruit's quality, how to carry out the planting to tap the fruit's full potential, or the best pruning methods.
Despite the great interest on the part of Spanish growers to grow this variety, Guillermo Soler stresses that, for now, "there are no plans to increase the quota of licensed trees of the variety in Spain and Portugal, which Israel has set for both countries at 1.3 million trees."
The first of these informative sessions took place on 23 February in Valencia and was attended by 150 people; more than expected. It gave professionals a chance to share their experiences.
The line of work to be followed by the ORC, which was formed just a year ago, is based on three fundamental pillars, according to Guillermo Soler. "In the first place, we will continue working to ensure that the production and reproduction regulations of this protected variety are adhered to. Secondly, we want to provide producers with the knowledge necessary to grow it, and thirdly, we hope to come up with stronger promotional actions for the variety very soon."
The ORC has shown its satisfaction with the excellent reception of these workshops. The next technical days, targeted at its partners, will take place on 2 March in Murcia and on 9 March in Huelva.
For more information:
Guillermo Soler
T: +34 961249780
Orri Running Committee (ORC)
orc@orcspain.es
www.orcspain.es