We abstracts. This time is for the digital newspaper Noticiasdealmeria.con .
The following lines are intended to provoke the interest shown by the consultation of the Campaign Analysis Produce of the Province of Almeria Cajamar Foundation presented on 25 November.
As everyone knows, in recent years, the English economy achieved significant growth rates, accompanied by a reduction in the rate unemployment might be called historical. However, much of that employment and growth that occurred in a housing market (and surrounding) overheated and growth potential of greatly reduced physical productivity. During those boom years, hardly anyone remembered the agriculture and agri-food in general. However, now that the tables have turned around, this sector is redisplayed as a refuge sector as the redoubt of competitiveness that has always been to Spain. Today, the food is back in fashion.
But what is needed now is to look back and look at past events key to improving our future.
Possibly, in this last year, the most influential climatic variable was the rain. Rainfall more than doubled the previous year (which had been particularly wet.) This meteor impacted negatively on the crops, mainly during the fall campaign, in which the problems associated with excess moisture, produced lower yields and poorer quality. Fortunately, during the spring this circumstance was modified favorably. In terms of temperatures, the start of the season was good, the rains are concentrated between December and March, but the prolongation of warm weather in Central Europe led to a situation of poor prices is that time which lasted throughout the first half with the effects of the rains. Fortunately, the spring helped to offset the bad start and both the production of long cycle crops such as spring came across a climatic and market conditions much more favorable.
Another issue to consider to explain what happened over the past months, is the progression of biological control methods. Most of the productions have continued on an upward trajectory, which highlights the pepper which has already virtually 100% of its area under protocols control. However, as already noted in the previous report, this new culture technique is a challenge for both farmers and supporting industry, a challenge that requires an effort of continuous adaptation. The adoption of this philosophy, induced by the consumer, is the reappearance of some diseases and overcome and the adoption of differentiated strategies for the new. In another moment both the former are responding in an exemplary manner, demonstrating flexibility and a truly enviable dynamism.
The constraints mentioned meant that production was reduced by 3.47%, reaching 2,788,222 tons. Down the analysis products are detected by two trends that might call for withdrawal. The first, evident for years, is the green bean, which in this campaign accumulated a further decline (in this case 20.3%). The second is the melon, which is already 6 consecutive years of declines, the last of 14.27%. Our flagship product, the tomato, this year has been injured in his fall campaign for the rains and the quality and production problems, while the fear of the impact of Tuta motivated less planting in the spring campaign. By contrast, eggplant and cucumber stood by their increased production. Respect to the surface total cultivated, grew slightly by 1.14%. Special mention the behavior of the lettuce, which in this campaign has reached very high levels of production (ranking as the sixth product in volume and value) and some good quotes.
While early campaign contributions followed the tone of the end of the last, little by little, the decline in production and consumer demand is not reduced too much, led to an improvement in unit prices, so The total value of production amounted to 1442.7 million, 2.3% more than in 2009. With respect to the average of the last 10 campaigns, which can see on the screen, the results of the main products are not exactly favorable and frame some of the conclusions discussed below. The average price has hardly changed (0.51 €), stemming from the increased value (4.7%) improvement in the quantities produced and re-emphasize the clearly recessive green beans and melon.
Meanwhile, external demand (which leads to our exports) contributed decisively to improving economic figures of the campaign. The earlier recovery of European economies has come to lend a hand to increase the consumption of foreign goods. Thus, records record the campaign were: 1526.5 million euros, or 1,696,065 tons, which is the same, 60.8% of total production. As European markets were always those who were more welcoming to our productions, albeit on the previous year, Germany lost some prominence and France regained second place as a buyer that had taken Holland.
The 2009/10 season had an important development with regard to the above. This was cutting production costs, estimated at -4.3% overall. Many of the major savings were related to the economic crisis and the climate of deflation was experienced in Spain for much of 2009, as fertilizers, financial or transportation costs. Others, however, have to do with motivations productive. For example, reduced water cost, no both because of their prices, but the reduced need to purchase the same, providing relief rain in this chapter. Also, biological control spending were cut for two reasons. The first lower demand, the farmers have optimized the use of auxiliary insects and, second, increased competition in the market for suppliers, which helped reduce prices. However, the underlying trends remain bullish, and from early this season, most of them have returned to positive rates.
I said so far is a mere summary of the data. Over 90 pages of the report, readers will find much greater detail. Even in the chapter of the annexes will find a couple of new features. The first related to a new source of information to be added this year, as in the Food Consumption Panel, which draws a line of consumer trends and spending very revealing. The second is the presentation of some of the main results of some tests carried out at the Experimental Station of the Foundation. As many of you know, the reason Cover of this year and the bottom of that presentation is the Inverse Greenhouse, who has demonstrated a very favorable production conditions in Almeria. And we've chosen because we believe it represents very well one of the main challenges facing our agriculture.
At this point, as said earlier, you may want to stop and examine the situation in which we live. The world is rapidly changing the way dictated by globalization. A few days ago we have seen in the G20 to the umpteenth clash between China and the U.S. on account of the exchange rates of their currencies. Emerging suddenly have crept into the tables decision at the highest level and it appears they have come to stay. On the other hand, the crisis hits the water line of the coordination of monetary policies and, while the U.S. remains committed to spending growth, Europeans, half by persuasion, half by market requirements we have to redirect our public finances. On the other hand, global food demand grows and will continue to grow in the medium term. But it will in countries that until recently were at the periphery. Because developed countries age. Although we also demand ever more of our food, and diversify the forms and habits of consumption, and we having greater purchasing power. The coming years will be crucial for many sectors. As shown in the chart, the trend of global agricultural production is growing, but today one of the best paying markets its food remains European. Consequence: competitive pressure in our area will continue to grow, and agreements with Morocco, the talks with Mercosur and market trends, suggests that maybe that is all that remains unchanged.
What does all this mean for the farmer of Almeria? Actually anything that is not already experiencing: increased competitive burdens. If we analyze the progress of horticultural production provincial, we can put the time of greatest expansion of production in 1993-1998. During these years, output growth is spectacular. If we keep posting, we see that the jump was made possible by the increased area and to a greater extent on the performance. In a way, the last big push to the growth of the surface was in those years, largely unchanged since then. However, what really allowed this growth was the entry into force of the Single Act and the disappearance of the remains of the protection of European Community. Physical outputs (the kilos per hectare) have grown very rapidly, while slowly average prices (Euros per kilo) have been reduced. The result is that average incomes, the per hectare, have begun to deteriorate since the mid 90's, to go as far as last season only 60% of its value in 1975-all in real terms measured ie removing the effect of inflation. If trends continue, sooner or later, the income would be over the crossing with the rising costs and farms end up in losses. If we consider the capacity of farmers and their cooperatives to push prices up or down costs is very limited, the only way left is productivity gain. That is, improving kilos per hectare. And thereby reduce the average cost. But we need a driver for them, which, as in 90, then quickly reach a higher level. The answer, as then, is very confident in the technology.
Considering that 20% of the greenhouses in the province can be considered "old", the improvement of the structures could contribute to the improvement. Not only because the new structures like the cover more productive for themselves, but they allow progress in the techniques of crop management. As I mentioned in the explanatory Jerome redial as surely then this field is still much room for improvement. Clearly, the challenge of competitiveness, physical yields are an important but not unique. Our competitors are increasingly crowded and we are gaining ground in the field of Jewish or melon. As we say in the text of the report: "the lines of future work should also try to minimize the current weaknesses (like the spray on the offer, or the inability to negotiate with large retailers) and take advantage of potential opportunities that arise the environment. "
