Dried fruit producers in Portugal manage “efficient” water, spending “30 to 40% less” than their counterparts in the United States (USA), revealed today a study by the Portugal Nuts association.
«There is really a good efficiency in the use of water and this crop, in addition to being very well adapted to the climate and soil conditions that we have in the Alqueva region, has an efficient use of water», Tiago Costa, president of the Portugal Nuts – Association for the Promotion of Nuts.
According to the leader, this is one of the conclusions of the study “Water needs of dried fruit crops in the main production areas”, presented this morning in Beja, at the 2nd Congress of Portugal Nuts.
According to Tiago Costa, the study, carried out in partnership with the Real Academia de Ingeneria de Madrid (Spain), demonstrates that dried fruits are, in Portugal, «a very efficient crop and that, with the technology used, it adds a lot of value the use of a scarce resource' such as water.
«It is one of the cultures that uses water in a very efficient way and that will allow us to be not only self-sufficient, but also to add value to the trade balance», he stressed.
The president of Portugal Nuts, an association representing 50 producers and processors across the country, added that the production of dried fruit in Portugal consumes less «30 to 40% of the water» consumed in the USA, a reference market in this sector.
A result that is due, on the one hand, to the use of drip irrigation systems on farms and, on the other hand, to the use of different varieties, «with a different behavior».
Furthermore, he added, in Alqueva, where there are around 25 hectares producing dried fruits, "there are also few losses [of water], because a large part of the system is pressure-driven, with no problems of evapotranspiration or losses".
“All this presupposes that we have less losses and that all the water we use is used in a much more efficient way”, he said.
For Tiago Costa, this reality makes the production of nuts in Portugal “more sustainable at all levels”, while having a smaller carbon footprint when compared to other producing markets.
«In Europe we have a deficit in all nuts, especially almonds, most of which are imported from the USA or Australia. Basically, we are bringing a product with a very long carbon footprint for our consumption », he reinforced.
The president of Portugal Nuts added that the country has, for all this, the conditions to grow in this sector.
«We are witnessing here an opportunity of climate and soil, plus the availability of water, which gives us the possibility of being competitive and creating this industry, to supply Europe with product [dried fruits] of European origin», he concluded.
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