2023-10-23 09:00:00
This year an experimental trial will begin for the cultivation of pistachios in Neuquén. The initiative is led by the PyME-ADENEU Center and will take place on the farm of a Plottier producer. In the nuts sector there is great expectation for this new crop.
In a Plottier establishment, which is currently dedicated to the production of almonds, a trial of half a hectare will be carried out with pistachios.
In the region there were experiences that did not have good results but the appearance of a new rootstock and the experience incorporated so far in the management of nuts in the province can generate new and better results.
The initiative is carried out by the SME-ADENEU Center, an organization dependent on the Ministry of Production and Industry, and aims to add a profitable alternative to expand the economic and productive matrix of Neuquén.
Alejandro García, representative of nuts of the Agency, commented that “over the years several producers have consulted to grow pistachio in the Upper Valley. There was a small experience in a farm in Añelo but year after year the plants froze.”
The specialist pointed out that “now the possibility has arisen of working with another rootstock that in theory has a certain resistance to frost and that virtue is transferred to the plant. From this, and with the experience we already have in handling nuts, to mitigate the effect of cold, we are confident that this new crop can be developed successfully”.
The SME-ADENEU Center financed the acquisition of the plants and the irrigation system, while the producer will do the planting and maintenance. Then, the Agency will monitor the evolution of the crop.
García explained that “The trial will allow us to see the behavior of the crop here in the valley. Regarding soil requirements, pistachio is not demanding, the great challenge we have ahead of us is that the plants do not freeze in the autumn-winter period, in their juvenile stage.”
“Once the plant is in production, its flowering occurs around the third week of October, so there is a low incidence of late frosts,” García clarified.
Sector development
Through productive development policies, the government of Neuquén has promoted the cultivation of nuts with credits and technical assistance. Between 2008 and 2011, around 250 hectares of walnut trees were planted, ventures that a decade later managed to achieve the first export.
Currently, Neuquén has 454 hectares of almond and walnut trees, and the sector is made up of 56 producers.
Senillosa is the city with the largest area dedicated to almond trees, with 37 hectares, while Picún Leufú leads at the provincial level with the presence of 187 hectares of walnut trees.
The PyME-ADENEU Center provides personalized and continuous technical assistance, which reached 170 in 2022. It also offers training and its own financing lines, as well as support for the management of external funds.
Almonds and walnuts have a series of advantages, such as long conservation at a low cost, sustained consumption that is increasing locally and globally, and a low demand for labor as cultural tasks can be mechanized, such as harvesting. Various points that position nuts as a viable and profitable alternative for productive reconversion.
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