Frutexa and its technical manager, Juan Pablo Sotomayor, organized a technical tour to California that gathered 12 prune producers who work with the company.
This trip from late July to early August, which Chileprunes also joined, had the objective of opening a direct window to the heart of the US production allowing the members to know firsthand the orchards, technologies, agricultural practices and market strategies of one of the biggest producers in the world.
Even though this is the second time it happens, the first time was in 2023, some of the members had never been to California. “Then, the main goal was to get to know the productive reality of the US. How are the orchards? What are the machines they use? Are there any new varieties or rootstocks? How are the farms? What is the distance between the rows? How is the pruning process? These were some aspects, among several others, that interest them”, says Juan Pablo Sotomayor.
The group visited leading companies like Mariani and Sacramento Packing in addition to California Prune Board, equivalent to Chileprunes in our country, as well as producers with lands that go from 500 to 1,500 hectares, well above the Chilean average. This visit not only strengthened commercial ties but also allowed them to identify practices that could be applied in Chile like the use of new rootstocks, handlings, and pruning mechanization and more efficient harvesting and drying processes.
“One of the interesting things they saw was the use of new rootstocks like the Krymsk 86, a Russian rootstock that has a better anchorage, it does not produce root suckers and it is more vigorous than Mariana 26/24. They have been using it in the new plantations for more than 10 years”, says Sotomayor.
Moreover, the tour brought on a unique opportunity to compare and contrast realities and, in many aspects, the productive handling in Chile is in the same level than the one in the US, and, in some aspects, they are better specially regarding yielding. “For many of them it was a changing experience that not only broadened their vision but also reinforced the confidence in what we are doing in Chile”, he added.
California: high quality and downward projections
Regarding production, the tour allowed them to know firsthand the projections for the next harvest in California. According to official estimates, they are expecting 59 thousand metric tons of prunes, even though several producers, including Juan Pablo Sotomayor, estimate that the real amount would be more than 65 thousand.
The fruit they saw had an excellent caliber and high levels of sugar; these aspects were favored by a summer less hot than the previous one. Despite this, the US is not expanding the planted surface but renewing old orchard with new plantations that have a very good productive potential.
The industry of California keeps high standards and big calibers aimed at domestic market and retail. While our normal productions are 70-75 caliber in average, the US productions are probably in a 55-60 caliber.
