Papayas, an alternative crop that has been developing in recent years in the province, is going through an inevitable growth crisis. After the initial euphoria, due to the promise of high profitability, the first doubts arose among the growers who wanted to incorporate it into their range of annual productions.
According to Iván Rodríguez, director of Anecoop's delegation in Almeria, cultivating papayas is not especially complicated, and in fact requires less work than vegetables, "but it is true that greenhouse producers have doubts about a crop that requires one or two years to reach good production results, since they are used to harvesting in late September."
However, growth seems unstoppable. Anecoop, the largest organization devoted to papaya production in Almeria, where it created the Exoticos del Sur association, acknowledges that some of those who started have abandoned the crop, but in return "we have 35 new contracts with growers."
One of the problems for the correct development of the papaya segment is the need to access the appropriate marketing channels. Many producers started cultivating this product, but at the time of marketing the fruit, they were in trouble, since it is a market to which only a few operators have access, with Anecoop being one of them.
The cooperative group, which has promoted the Bouquet brand for its papayas from Almeria, has open distribution channels with some of the largest European distribution groups, especially for the German and Central European markets.
Handling
The progress made in the papaya sector has motivated Anecoop to launch new lines of work around this product, with one of them being the marketing through the catering sector or shopping malls, for which it is preparing specialties, such as sliced or cut fruit that can be used directly in the hospitality industry.
In the framework of this expansion plan, Anecoop has announced the opening next season of a centre specialised in the fruit's handling, which is being built on the ground of the Almerian cooperative Hortamar.
The director of the delegation in Almeria says that a total of 1.5 million kilos of papayas are already expected for this next campaign, with production peaking in the months of March, April and May next year. This fruit will be sold entirely in the domestic and especially in the EU markets.
Research to bring the ideal papaya to Almeria
Papayas have been revealed as one of the main alternative crops, if not the main one, to the predominant the "six plus two" products that prevail in Almeria's greenhouses: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, courgettes, aubergines, watermelons and melons. Originating in the tropics of America, where it is believed that the Maya cultivated it before the arrival of the Spaniards, the greatest research efforts so far have focused on finding the variety best adapted to the subtropical-Mediterranean climate, as well as on selecting the best varieties for their optimal production in greenhouses.
The Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture La Mayora, in Malaga, assures that the study of the performance of different varieties is vital when introducing a new crop in order to prevent the marketing of fruit of inferior quality, as that would curtail its potential for growth in the future.
Varieties
"From the very start and up until now, the Intenzza variety has been the main one among local crops. It could be considered as the standard variety," explains Irene Salinas, adding that "other varieties, such as the Siluet or Sweet Sense, are also becoming remarkable, and new varieties, like the Caballero, seem to be gaining ground in intensive horticulture in the Mediterranean." Asked about what producers are looking for when having to choose a specific seed, Salinas talks about plants "with a quick entry into production (eight or nine months after being transplanted), as well as other factors, such as high productivity and the pursuit of maximum profitability.
Source: lavozdealmeria.es
