At a time when the primary sector is rethinking its future, Palencia Asaja Days XXII in 2000 began on September 21 with an analysis of a traditional crop with large market prospects: alfalfa.
The director of the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Dehydrated Alfalfa, Joaquín Capistran an agricultural engineer was charged to begin the twenty-second edition of this lecture series, which ended Friday 23.
This crop, well known by the farmers of Palencia, is the third largest in the province, behind wheat and barley, with 30,100 hectares last season. And for that reason was the opening theme for the conference.
Capistran highlighted the future prospects of the dehydration pre-dried in the field in relation to the current method. "Between 1963 and 1975, alfalfa was harvested with 80% moisture and dried at the factory, which required for drying1 Kilo, was allocated three kilo of fuel." This energy expenditure is avoided by drying the product in the ground and processing it in the industry with approximately 10% humidity.
The conditions for the cultivation of alfalfa in the provinces of Palencia are, in opinion of Capistran, much more favorable than in the rest of Europe. "No rain, have good irrigation, local farmers are familiar with the product and the soil has a pH suitable" he said.
The opening of new markets in the Middle East creates new opportunities for producers of alfalfa. "The United Arab decided to import alfalfa rather than produce it, to allocate irrigation water to other uses. Since 2007, Spain is one of its main suppliers, "he added. In fact, in the last campaign the Arab country were exported 650,000 tons of alfalfa dehydrated and processed into large bales for easy transport.
The foreign market is postulated as an alternative to the crisis in the local livestock sector, the main consumer of alfalfa so far. A fact that many farmers have already noticed in Palencia, because "two thirds of production in Palencia is going to industry," according Capistran.
Original article: La alfalfa deshidratada y su nuevo mercado abre las jornadas de Asaja
