Better plants, the next revolution
Juan Sutil and Sebastián Carrión do not know each other. The first is the president of Empresas Sutil, the second is a producer who has one hectare of raspberries in Longaví, VII Region. Sutil is in charge of hundreds of people in companies such as the agricultural retail chain Coagra or the exporter of nuts PacificNut. On the other hand, Carrión, who is an Indap user, works his garden with the help of three brothers.
Sutil and Carrión, however, have much in common when making a diagnosis about the business of raspberries. His look is critical to the present, but optimistic about the future.
«We producers have fallen behind in terms of the quality of the plants, which has affected the quality of the fruit and the profitability of our orchards»says Carrión.
Subtle agrees with the farmer in the difficulty to find quality raw material. However, he also believes that there are very good business opportunities.
«Consumers are eager to have a healthier diet. For example, people are stopping consuming canned products and are switching to frozen products, which better preserve nutritional conditions. Berries, including raspberries, benefit a lot from this trend.", says Sutil.
Not only are words of good upbringing. This year, Sutil made its entry into the property of Frutícola Olmué, one of the main processors and exporters of frozen products in Chile. Within the company's offer, raspberries play a central role.
Sebastián Carrión is also playing for raspberries. Until recently I had a hectare and a half of that berry, but decided to start half a hectare. Its objective is to prepare to plant, for the first time, raspberries reproduced in vitro and from established nurseries. He realized that to make a productive leap he had to use genetic material of the highest quality. For Carrión, it is an important challenge, since it means spending almost zero pesos per plant, as it was obtained from colleagues nearby, to pay almost $ 300 per certified plant.
The one that is still considered the most delayed item within the berries, in terms of access to new plant material and production technologies in the orchards, lives a moment of silent renewal.
«There has been a diagnosis for a long time that raspberries had productive problems. However, in the last couple of years there has been an awareness that changes must be made. "Small producers have realized that those who have opted for better plant material obtain better profitability.", affirms Pilar Bañados, professor of the Faculty of Agronomy of the Catholic University.
In the strawberries and blueberries, the other two berries, there are also important advances. In the first case, due to the changes in the use of agrochemicals and in the second due to the interest in generating varieties more adapted to the local conditions of production and commercialization.
Frambuesera renovation
Antonio Domínguez, president of Nevada, a freezer exporter, uses a football metaphor when talking about the raspberry business.
«Chile made a name for itself globally as a supplier of raspberries. We were once in the group of the most outstanding players. However, we are at risk of falling to the second division if we are not able to change our current offer.He says.
Domínguez points out that the "artisanal" reproduction of plants at the farm level caused the quality and productivity of raspberries to lose. The executive affirms that not only the profitability of farmers is damaged, but also that of industrializing companies, which must deal with an infrastructure that has become large in the face of the drop in volumes.
However, everything indicates that a renaissance is being generated thanks to the focus on the quality of the plant material.
Alejandro Navarro, partner of Vivero Sur, brought from Italy the regina variety that, according to his records, shows a very promising result. While the usual thing in Chile is to get raspberries from 1,5 to 3 grams, in the peninsular variety 5 is reached at 7 grams. Additionally, you can go from 6 to 8 tons per hectare usual in the country, to a production higher than the 20 tons.
The offer of raspberry varieties has had a jump in the last couple of years. Not only with imported varieties, but also with local development. One of the examples is the Fruit Technology Consortium and the Catholic University, which this year will give a validation leap in field work with three varieties: Santa Teresa, Santa Clara and Santa Carolina. If all goes well, they should be planted between 5 and 10 hectares next year.
Of course, the renewal of raspberry orchards is not only about new varieties. Heritage, the origin of many current orchards, could return in version 2.0. Its great advantage is that it has adapted very well to Chilean conditions. However, for years it reproduced from other plants in the fields and became blurred, or as the producers insist on cataloging it: "degenerating."
However, a private agreement with Indap would aim to revive it. One of the main goals of the "Raspberry Table", which brings together the entire productive chain and the Government, and which was established this year, was to promote the replanting of one thousand hectares with heritage from established nurseries.
«I think there are very promising varieties that need to be studied. However, at an initial stage it is good to start with a variety that has been recognized to work well. A demand will be generated for top quality plants, very different from the existing plant material.", says Antonio Domínguez, who is a member of the Mesa. As Indap has expressed its support for the initiative, it is estimated that by the end of the year the protocol should be ready. It is necessary to define what will be the type of payment that each member of the productive chain will incur and the magnitude of the state support.
Additionally, the initiative would help generate an impulse in the offer of nurseries. As historically there has not been an important demand for certified raspberries and with standards such as in vitro reproduction, companies in the sector have not had an incentive to increase their supply.
Juan Sutil, however, emphasizes that initiatives with the support of Indap such as these, should have a technical seal, to avoid being colored by political influences in support of producers.
Strawberries: goodbye to methyl bromide
In the strawberries, meanwhile, there are also novelties. A great innovation vehicle has been the restrictions on the use of methyl bromide. This agrochemical, which is used to deal with soil diseases, as of this year is banned from being used, because it has been related to damage to the ozone layer.
The absence of methyl bromide requires varieties that are more resistant to diseases linked to soils.
Benjamín Zschau, agronomist of the Technical Department of Vivero Llahuén, points out that there is new plant material to face the new situation. He emphasizes that California and Spain have already faced a scenario of withdrawal of methyl bromide with new varieties.
One of the most promising, according to Zschau, is the Monterey variety. Together with the advantage of overcoming the problems with the ground, it allows to work with higher temperatures, so it adapts well to the warmer areas. According to the agronomist, this variety is attracting small producers from the central valleys.
Meanwhile, the albion variety, which is earlier, works better in cooler areas, such as, for example, the Melipilla and Santo Domingo areas, in the Metropolitan Region and Valparaíso, respectively.
In any case, it is not all about overcoming the absence of methyl bromide. An important point that farmers are looking for is that the strawberries are easy to work for the seasonal workers. Greater efficiency helps reduce the number of days needed per hectare.
Chilean blueberries
The first “made in Chile” blueberries are forged in Talca. GenBerries, a joint venture of the University of Talca, Agrícola Valle Maule and the Master Plant nursery, has been working since the end of the last decade on the development of new varieties of this berry. As the study and selection periods are long, it is expected that the first commercial versions will be available in about four more years.
The researchers behind the project suggest that the imported varieties were designed for the reality of the northern hemisphere. US farmers only need a couple of days to get to the consumers' table. The Chilean production, on the other hand, must support boat trips that can take two to five weeks.
The concern for post-harvest is central to blueberries, as it is the only berry that is mainly exported fresh. Almost all the raspberries come out frozen or with another type of processing, the same thing that happens with the strawberries.
Cristobal Duke, commercial manager of Huertos Collipulli, believes that it is necessary to advance towards a better adaptation to the productive reality south of Biobío. Although he estimates that the Duke variety has worked very well, he believes that in the introduction of new varieties nurseries should have a greater number of trials in the south. A point no less, if one considers that the great growth of surface in that crop is occurring in the regions of La Araucanía, Los Lagos and Los Ríos.
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