"Impossible." It's the most repeated word by the spokesmen of farmers' organizations when asked about the possibility of converting their farms to varieties that require the payment of high royalties. However, there are solutions for those who want to take risks in search of benefits. To a large extent, these solutions go through public administration. The Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA) is one of the different actors of the agricultural sector that is working to develop new mandarins.
The director of this institute, Enrique Molto, said that they were currently working on a total of 15 varieties. Seven of them are already in the market and are accessible to professionals in the field after the payment of more moderate fees. They are the albir, alborea, clemenverd, coral, nero, neufina, and milana varieties. All of these mandarin varieties are harvested before or after the traditional varieties of Castellon, whose period is centered between October and December.
A good example of this is the clemenverd variety. According to its IVIA file, it is a mutation of the clemenules variety that has a good caliber, a skin that is more resistant, and an acidity level similar to that of hernandina variety. Most importantly, it is harvested between January 1 and February 15, a time when the usual campaign begins to end. The same goes for the milana variety, which would allow lengthening the campaign until March.
Molto said that the objective of the experimentation programs of the IVIA is that small farmers "have the possibility of opting for varieties that have better market prices at an affordable price." "We charge modest royalties to maintain control of what is planted and to obtain an income that will finance new research," the expert added.
The head of the IVIA said that obtaining hybrid mandarins that extend the season wasn't enough, as these must have other characteristics. "Our goal is to develop seedless mandarins that have a good flavor and a high content of nutrients, which is essential because we think that consumers will tend to demand more and more this type of information," Molto said.
Early varieties
So far, the majority of the new mandarins are of the late variety. Carles Peris, the head of the Farmer's Union, said that it was also important to develop early options because it is a moment in which some competing countries, such as several African countries, concentrate a good part of their campaigns. In this sense, the IVIA is already working on an early variety, which for the moment is called TRI-707, that would respond to this demand of the sector, as it would be harvested at the end of September.
Source: elperiodicomediterraneo.com
