Spain has had the largest and fastest growing Persimmon crop in the Mediterranean area in the last two decades.
Persimmon cultivation in Valencia, and especially in the region of Ribera del Xúquer, started off in the late nineties of the last century, with the implementation of post-harvest techniques that enabled producers to eliminate the traditional astringency that characterized the Bright Red variety and resulted in a much better version of this variety, which "soon began enjoying the attention of an audience that, up to that moment, had not shown much enthusiasm for this kind of fruit," stated Cristóbal Aguado, president of AVA-ASAJA.
Removing the astringency of persimmon has a high cost, but it allows producers to transport more of it and to cover longer distances. For example, Spain already exports persimmons to Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Brazil.
According to Aguado, persimmon evolution has been meteoric. The latest official data shows that the area of persimmon crops in Valencia have gone from 2,281 hectares in 2002 to nearly 11,862 hectares in 2014, while production has skyrocketed from 25,000 tons to nearly 140,000 tons during the same period. Other agricultural areas of Spain, such as Andalusia and Murcia, are also betting on persimmon, although Valencia holds the hegemonic position.
"Persimmon has not peaked yet between public preferences, but it is precisely now that producers and traders must not lower their guard. We can't forget the past experiences occurred in other varieties or products that started out very well and that failed to succeed because of inadequate planning," stated Aguado.
Spontaneous mutation
The Bright Red variety of the Ribera del Xúquer, which was the result of a spontaneous mutation of an ancient native variety to which new techniques have been applied in order to eliminate its astringent character, has been specially successful. However, according to Asaja Valencia, the success of Bright Red Persimmon today could be its failure in the future if the production is not properly managed.
The Bright Red has already entered Andalusia and Catalonia and producers in Valencia have stopped growing other traditional varieties of persimmon. The Association of Farmers and Ranchers fear that an overproduction can cause a drop in prices. They believe that management, research centers, farmers and cooperatives should exchange information to increase the range of varieties, find new markets and study the industrial processing of persimmon, among other measures. Improving treatments against pests or improving techniques to extend the life of the fruit is also of paramount importance, Asaja stated.
The quality of the Bright Red variety is exceptional: its trees are very productive, need little or no thinning, and provide very large and attractive fruits in form, color, aroma and flavor. They also ripen smoothly on camera, as indicated by G. Llácer and Maria L. Badenes from the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research.
"There are not many good news stories in agriculture. So when a crop works and it is able to generate reasonable rates of return for producers, there are two reasons to be satisfied," says Aguado. According to him, persimmon cultivation "helps to foster a climate of optimism in the ranks of a collective that has been severely punished, and it proves that there still is a future in agriculture when things are done well: based on quality, differentiation and professionalism. "
Source: abc.es