A higher quality of the agrofruticultural product is highly necessary to improve the competitiveness of the sector. In this field there has been a great effort from the industry with the generation of modern quality selection systems and the use of control systems with modern equipment.

Quality is built on the ground

Stanley Best, from INIA's Digital Agriculture Specialty Group, points out that, although these technological advances in postharvest and the packaging They have collaborated to make an adequate selection in the industry, the quality is built on the ground, and there are large costs and losses due to the great heterogeneity that exists, "due to the variability in their edaphoclimatic conditions".

Origin and destination

"The disconnection of these two forms (origin and destination) is where progress must be made in research, being the main problem in the field (origin), on which current evaluation processes are expensive and must attack large areas, therefore produces a gap and market deformation. This problem occurs since the productive areas are found within variations of topography, texture and depth of soils, drainage and fertility, among many others, which, when integrated, produce the problems of plant development and, finally, of production ”, he explains. the expert, in an extensive interview that is published in the new edition of the BlueMagazine, which is launched in June in a tangible and digital way.

“It is well known that the variability of soil factors induces a variability of yields and quality. With the standardized or homogeneous management of the orchard, it makes these natural variabilities of the soil manifest in the differences in vigor, quality and yield of the orchards ”, he emphasizes.

Digitize the orchard

Stanley Best adds: “We have the technologies, the applications, but we need to work on the link between both parties. Today we are facing climate change, and with it new diseases, the phenological conditions of the crop have changed and, in addition, agricultural businesses are narrower, very competitive and soon the certification of products will be very relevant. In all this, the contribution of technology is vital and we need to generate that structure that allows the development of a market around digital agriculture 4.0, to unleash human capacities, the training of agricultural professionals and the application of data and technology in production ”.

"We cannot be left behind"

The interview with the renowned expert is part of an extensive report on modern agriculture, or agriculture 4.0, in which the role of technology and digitization of the process is vital for the productivity of crops and the sustainability of the industry and the market.

In the last five years, the rate in terms of technological investment in agriculture has grown exponentially, reaching between 20% and 30% annually in Europe and the United States, "and we cannot be left behind", warns the expert, and comments that in the field of international institutions, such as Fontagro, Cepal, FAO, Procisur, etc. Support has been generated for actions in the field of generating human capacities, but they are just beginning, and it is expected that these will generate more results in the medium term.

40% less

As data: "The price of Chilean fruits in destination markets has a penalty of up to 40% with respect to other more technified producing countries."

The launch of the printed edition of the BlueMagazine will take place at the XX International Seminar of Mexico 2021, where it will be delivered free of charge to attendees. You can view the magazine in digital format at https://www.revistabluemagazine.com/publicaciones/edicion-2021/