“Spain is one of the countries where exists more visited to the hour to support to the agriculturalist”

Spain is one of the six included countries in the study that BASF has realised/realized to know the current challenges of the agricultural activity. Miguel Suárez, responsible maximum of the Division of Protection of Crops in Spain from 2009, was present the past 8 November in Ludwigshafen to develop and matizar some of the peculiarities that have given in the results published referents to our agriculturalists and consumers.

Miguel Suárez-Cervieri, director of the Div. Protection of Crops of BASF Spanish.

One of the main reasons is the quantity of regulations appeared in the last years in the European field. Nowadays be professional agriculturalist in Europe involves a very big commitment, because it has to go through strict controls to certify the quality of what produces . No longer it has to face only the inclemencias of the time, obtain good productions or pay his credits, but also has to fulfil with all a series of regulations that subject it to an enorma pressure. And it is logical that this pressure manifest in a degree of inconformidad high.

The process of urbanisation has affected this perception and Spain is one of the countries where exists more visited to the hour to support to the agriculturalist, because it is an industry that contributes a lot to the image of Spain in the outside. We have to understand that for the time being Spain is the main European producer of fruits and hortalizas, world-wide leader in export of hortalizas, and that this sector that produces a high quantity of elements, base of the Mediterranean diet, deserves that all the involved do an effort to position better to the agriculturalist inside the mind of the consumer.

In Europe play with a very emotional debate between the people that is out of the sector agropecuario, that are consumers, and that legitimately concern of the quality of the foods that consume. Our contribution has to be offer tools that allow to quantify how produce, develop clear indicators that serve like objective starting points, and show these advances where the industry has collaborated: with products more efficient, less quantity of active by hectare, integrated development of plagues, etc. Nowadays obtain foods with a big quality, no only by the quality of appearance, but by the length in the supermarket or in the fridge of the consumer; and more nutritious. A tool like AgBalance goes to racionalizar much more the debate and goes us to allow work beside the agriculturalists so that it was understood the dimension of the investment that the agriculturalist does, and especially, so that the consumer understand that after all the agriculturalist is legitimately concerned by that this appreciate what the produce, so that in a future the agriculture keep on being a viable and profitable activity in Europe.

They exist two slopes. On the one hand, the perception of the Spanish consumer is a bit better that the one of the rest of Europe, but in general terms worse that the one of the own agriculturalist. The Spanish producer, if by something characterises/characterizes , is by the capacity of innovation and Spain is an exporting country, that understands very well that the technology results fundamental. The support by part of the authorities in some crops, particularly of the corn and in the fight against plagues of very difficult control, has done to understand to the agriculturalist that this shy introduction, compared with other continents, does not leave to be important, and that opens a debate that over time will understand better.

“Our contribution has to be offer tools that allow to quantify how produce, develop clear indicators that serve like objective starting points, and show these advances in that the industry has collaborated”

The first generation of the genetically modified organisms arose in base to resistances to something, that is to say, that protected to the plant of herbicides and fungicidas. We particularly think that with the second and third generation the consumer goes to see the profits regarding the quality of the foods, and also is the duty of the industry explain them better, because no all the world knows neither has reason understand the so technical explanations that usually offer.

At present we are working in an initiative designated 'Customer associated', attracting the 150 main agricultural companies in Spain through a platform where opens a dialogue with the agriculturalists to know his needs with such to attain improve different productive appearances. This has allowed us launch this year the initiative 'Clear Feel Rice' to control the problematic of the red rice, and with which have had a big success, since it treats of a technology of classical genetic improvement that allows us use a herbicide that controls the red rice and other bad grasses, while it takes care the crop. Also we are working with AgBalance to compare in fruit and vineyard the different types of production in Spain, the organic and the integrated, with the aim to be able to show with clear indicators which are the advantages of a system and of the another. This type of interaction will allow that Spain keep on being a referent of quality and of products of big level for the rest of Europe.