In the Camp d'Elx, there are growers who have spent their whole lives devoted to the cultivation of the fig tree, which produces brebas in June and figs in August; however, in recent years, new producers have appeared who have recovered lands with the idea that the product is always sold in the market. There are plots that were previously used for vegetables which are now planted with fig trees, as is the case with pomegranates. If the calibre is good and there is no excess supply, the price of brebas can reach around three to six Euro per kilo. When there is more supply, the final price falls to between two and four Euro.
The producer José Antonio Mollà has been devoted to the cultivation of fig trees in the hamlet of Matola for more than thirty years. "I have about three hundred fig trees, and today they continue to be planted because they are profitable for the producer," he explained.
"It is a tree that cannot stand the cold very well, as we have seen this year, but if the breba campaign goes wrong, then you always have the figs in August and this helps compensate," he points out, explaining also that the number of labourers hired for the harvest depends on the campaign's prospects.
For his part, José Manuel Blasco, who has been cultivating this fruit for fewer years, has had one hectare planted with new trees this past year to complete his farm. "We have a farm and I have increased the number of trees, because it is a crop that does well in our area and we know how to work it."
José Manuel Blasco also said that "producers are aware that it is a fruit that is sold well through cooperatives, and that, unlike with other products, we don't need to do a lot to find a market for them."
These factors have resulted in a boost in the production of brebas and figs in the Camp d'Elx in recent years, when it is a more characteristic fruit of municipalities in the Vega Baja, such as Albatera, where there is also a great amount of hectares devoted to the cultivation of fig trees.
Source: diarioinformacion.com
