Organic agriculture today is very different from what we knew a decade or two ago. Today, a better price differential is sought, but without neglecting the objectives of achieving the highest production yields, nor neglecting the quality and condition of arrival of the fruit in the most important markets. Today, the aim is to respond competitively to the demands of the destination markets and to the high standards imposed by the new consumers, seeking to achieve better quality of the fruit, good productivity, health in the process and greater profitability for the producer.

Seminar in Trujillo

Antonio Gaete is an agricultural engineer, international blueberry advisor and specialist in organic production, and will participate in the XXIII International Blueberry Seminar that will take place on July 6 and 7 in Trujillo, Peru. His exhibition will be the opportunity to delve into the fundamental aspects of organic blueberry production, its advantages and demands, and the myths that surround it.

Agronomists are clear that they must use many tools - he comments to Litoralpress - in order not to put at risk the productive yields of an orchard that makes its transition to ecological or organic production.

• Is it more expensive to do organic farming?

No not at all. Farmers must take into account that there are certain stages: first, the transition process, where we must not put the production systems at risk. We must be monitoring everything, pests in their different stages, weeds, diseases, environmental conditions and, above all, the effectiveness of the strategies established in the organic management plan. After that period, we began to intervene in the second stage, incorporating tools typical of organic agriculture, for example, microorganisms, organic matter in cover or composting, release of natural enemies, etc.

Greater profitability

The concept is to look for a price differential. “Many tell us that it is not the concept, that this is not the essence of organic agriculture, but we believe that there is an impact when starting an organic conversion process in a conventional production system. It is much easier when there is a price differential in the final value of the product, which will generate an impact on the profitability of the project. No farmer or entrepreneur will want to change from conventional agriculture to organic if he knows that his yield will also drop, there will be a risk of an increase in pests and that he will not know how to control them. And that on top of that, the price differential is not that high,” he explains.

• What makes the cost difference between organic farming versus conventional farming?

The match. Many times the mistake is in deciding to convert the worst farm, sector or barracks to organic, productively speaking. However, it is quite the opposite. We should have the best sector or barracks to go organic because if we use the worst, it will take longer. If you couldn't raise a garden in a conventional way, you won't get it from an organic point of view in the short term. If the orchard has a deficiency from a nutritional point of view, it must be corrected beforehand, because it is cheaper to correct with a conventional tool than with an organic one. The same if there is a health problem. The recommendation is to correct it and then move the sector to organic production.

• In the case of the farmer who has already decided to be organic, what is the most expensive to make that transition?

The strategy and a management plan that does not have the review of the critical points that the project presents, mainly nutritional and sanitary. That is the most expensive, that is, if the strategy is poorly defined, you will have to pay for the mistakes, because many times the mistakes are made when thinking that you should reach the same level as a conventional unit. In conventional agriculture, the plant is constantly being fertilized. However, in organic agriculture, although the aim is to nourish the plant, this is done through soil fertilization. Therefore, when the soils are mostly poor, it will take a lot for them to reach that fertilization. So, we must take a “high speed highway”, trying to make a substitution of inputs and apply elements to fertilize the plant in a fast delivery format.

• Are there varieties that are easier to manage organically?

There are varieties that are much easier to manage than others, mainly due to susceptibility to attack by pathogens or pests, as well as yields per hectare. Currently most of the new early varieties have very good size, very good vegetative development and very good productivity. The only thing is to go into fine detail to decide which one to stay with, according to the agroecological condition of the place where each farm is located.

• Are there differences in doing organic farming in soil than in a pot?

As we are producing on an inert substrate, we must worry about electrical conductivity, drainage, humidity and microbial mass. In a direct soil crop, we can see the errors in the following campaign, however, in pots, the errors are exposed the next day. If we make a mistake in applying the fertilization, the plants will probably give some signal about it.

• How do you see the projection of organic blueberries in Peru?

I think it's hard to think that, from a conventional volume point of view, there's not going to be an impact on prices. I have seen certain technical drawbacks, as you cannot replicate what you saw or heard in a successful situation. For example, solid amendments applied to soil behave very differently in sand. The same happens in terms of microorganisms, liquid organic matter and amino acids. I believe that the success of organic blueberry production in Peru will depend on how information has been obtained and how it is being applied to get the most out of it. Another issue is that there is high sanitary pressure, where a strategy, monitoring plans and constant review of the application programs must be established.

El XXIII International Blueberry Seminar will be held at the facilities of the Hotel Costa del Sol Wyndham Trujillo Golf, on July 6 and 7, and will be exhibited, along with Antonio Gaete, by specialists Andrés France, Bruno Defilippi, Eduardo Donoso and Paula del Valle, among others, addressing issues related to the phytosanitary and nutritional aspects of the crop, its new management, the aspects of quality and condition of the fruit, its post-harvest life and its commercial prospects in the world market.