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Artur Mas inaugurates the first irrigated pistachio plantation in Catalonia

The event, which was attended by the President of the Generalitat and representatives of a wide range of authorities, was held at the Mas de Colom farm (Tàrrega) which is owned by Borges International Group. The company promotes collaboration agreements with producers by developing mechanisms for information, advice and dissemination regarding crops, in addition to its commitment to buy such products.

The President of the Generalitat, Artur Mas, planted one of the pistachio trees, marking the beginning of the first irrigated pistachio plantation in Catalonia. This planting, which marks the beginning of cultivation in the area of the Segarra-Garrigues Canal (Urgell), was attended by members of the Pont family, owners of Borges International Group, (the honorary President, Mr. Antón Pont Amenós, the President, Mr. Ramon Pont Amenós, the CEO, Mr. Josep Pont Amenós, and the board Secretary, Mr. Antón Pont Grau) and various authorities such as the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Environment, Josep Maria Pelegrí; the representative of the Government of the Generalitat in Lleida, Ramon Farré; The president of the Lleida Provincial Council, Joan Reñé; The president of the Urgell Regional Council, Rosa M. Mora and the mayor of Tàrrega, Rosa Maria Perelló, among others.

Development of a vertical cooperation plan with producers

With the start of pistachio cultivation in the Garrigues Canal-Segarra area, Borges International Group is committed to the territory and is developing a vertical cooperation plan with prospective pistachio producers in the area.

The plan, covered by the collaboration agreement between the Ministry for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Environment and Borges International Group, involves encouraging the planting of pistachio nuts on those farms in the Segarra-Garrigues area belonging to manufacturers who want to establish vertical cooperation with the company. Borges International Group will be responsible for outreach and advisory services regarding the production aspect of the cultivation, as well as purchasing and marketing the products.

The plan contains benefits for the producer (advice on patterns, varieties, planting frames, irrigation systems, harvesting, a processing plant just a few kilometres away to process the product, and a commitment to purchase times), for the company (an excellent-quality product within easy reach, making it unnecessary to import products from other countries and allowing for investment in the territory where it originates) and for the territory, since this initiative seeks to energise the Segarra-Garrigues area and take advantage of this investment.

The first step in this technological transfer was an expedition to the Borges pistachio plantation in Guadix (Granada) by a group of manufacturers interested in the crops, and the second was a training session organised between Borges International Group and the DAAM for interested parties from the area.

In addition, Borges International Group and the Institut Català de Finances are working together to offer financial support for new plantations.

Specificities of pistachio processing for marketing

Optimal cultivation and processing of pistachio nuts requires at least 4,000 cubic metres of irrigation water per hectare and year, which the Segarra-Garrigues Canal can provide, a climatology with cold winters and hot summers, specific irrigation and collection systems and a processing plant that can process (peel and dry) the fruit in less than 24 hours (beyond which time, the product becomes black and is no longer suitable for marketing).

To accomplish all this, Borges International Group wishes to cooperate by introducing cultivation to the area, offering advice on planting, setting up a transformer plant within easy reach and purchasing products in line with the optimal production standards required by the crops themselves.

With more than 25 years of experience in cultivating pistachio nuts at its Badajoz and Granada plantations (1,200 hectares in total), Borges International Group wants the cultivation of pistachio nuts at its Tàrrega estate (Mas de Colom) to be a benchmark in the region, and to contribute to the technological transfer of the crops for all those interested in planting them. The company also undertakes to facilitate the marketing of pistachio nuts to all producers in the area of influence of the Segarra-Garrigues Canal.

Consumption, imports and profitability of pistachio nuts

Currently, Spain imports about 10,000 tonnes of pistachio nuts a year from the United States and Iran. Pistachio, however, is a rapidly evolving crop in Spain. For example, the production of pistachio nuts at the Borges farm in Benavides (Badajoz) has achieved a yield of 3,500 kg / Ha.

In the Segarra-Garrigues Canal area, a production potential of 2,500 kg per hectare and a useful plant life of 50 years (one of the crops with the longest useful life) are projected, with operating costs of approximately 2,600 €/Ha (with an amortisation of the investment in about 10-12 years) and market prices that would oscillate between 4 and 5 €/Kg. This all means that the crop is very appealing in terms of profitability.

The 4 engines of the Segarra – Garrigues Canal

DAAM, the Ministry for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Environment of the Generalitat de Catalunya, designed a mechanism about three years ago to begin irrigation of the holdings of the Segarra-Garrigues Canal, based on vertical cooperation between agro-alimentary industries that are driving it and the farms that have yet to switch from dry to irrigated. This mechanism / project was called 4 motores para el Segarra-Garrigues (4 engines for the Segarra-Garrigues Canal).

To date, there are four sectoral projects in progress, in front of which there are “railway machines” well chosen for their power, solvency and win-win mood, four machines aimed at bringing about interesting productions for them and for the Segarra-Garrigues Canal.

The four engines, chronologically, are the apple orchard project in collaboration with Fruits de Ponent d’Alcarràs, the annual double harvest project for livestock feed in collaboration with the Ivars d’Urgell Cooperative, that of Borges International Group intended to promote the planting of pistachio nuts and that of Codorniu and the Grup de Cellers de les Valls de Riucorb, which will promote irrigated wine-growing in the 3 Denomination of Origin areas of the region (Costers del Segre, Cava and Catalunya).