The drought has not stopped the harvest of the producers covered by the Poma de Girona Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). The companies that grow with the PGI plan to harvest more than 88,500 tons of fruit between the months of August and November. It is a figure similar to that of last year, which represents the fourth best data since the creation of the quality label.
Unlike last year, the quality of the fruit is very high. The reason is the good weather in recent weeks. The key is in the coolness of the nights when it has dropped below 14 degrees and this has allowed the fruit to take on a good color, while the intense heat during the day has caused the sugars to be incorporated into the apple.
“We expected good apple quality and the truth is that we have achieved it compared to last year where the nights were tropical and there was a lot of fruit that we could not harvest. We have had the thermal contrast that apples need,” he told the producer. and manager of Begudà Fruits, Jordi Begudà.
But the reality is that the drought has been one of the conditioning factors this summer in many areas, especially in crops. In this sense, it should be noted that a significant part of apple production is found in the Alt Empordà area, which depends on irrigation from the Fluvià aquifer, an area that this Wednesday began to apply emergency restrictions due to lack of water.
The president of the IGP Manzana de Girona, Jaume Armengol, points out, however, that the fact that the restrictions are coming now is a “lesser evil”, since the harvest of the fruit begins and, therefore, the trees will need a lot of less water than two or three months ago.
However, Armengol acknowledges that we are in a “very serious” situation and that we must take this into account for the future. An impression shared by the director of IRTA Mas Badia, Joan Bonany, who acknowledges that this is a new situation for peasants. “Never before have we had to deal with a restriction like the one we have had this year. We will have to adapt,” he stressed.
Both Bonany and Armengol have highlighted the importance that fruit growers have had in saving the necessary water in recent years. Specifically, sensors have been installed to know exactly how much water was essential in order to have a good quality apple.
In addition, with the drop by drop method you can adjust the number of liters in the dry season. The flood model that was usually carried out and that involved a much higher cost of liters of water than the current one is left behind.
Climate change has forced farmers to reinvent themselves. This is how new varieties have emerged, such as ‘Tuti’, which needs a much smaller amount of water than usual. The first apples of this variety are expected to come out next year.
