It may seem cliché, but the fig tree is a biblical plant, very ancient. Its fruits are familiar, sweet, and universally appreciated. Why? It's a hardy plant that adapts well to adverse conditions, making it an easy tree to grow, with double blooms and a long harvest. In the past, almost every home had one or more fig trees. It's a must-have in country houses.
Today, in addition to these sentimental and, for many, nostalgic reasons, commercial fig orchards are practically nonexistent due to their long harvest times and short fruit shelf life. Indeed, figs are highly perishable, posing a challenge to many farmers.
However, for small producers, this fruit is ideal, as its market prices are high and there is the alternative of dehydrating it and using it in baked goods, such as the famous fig and walnut breads, very popular in Spain. This is the reason that led Martín Wielandt, a farmer from Melipilla, to invest in figs. “A good way to make a small piece of land profitable is by planting fig trees. Additionally, I must say that figs aren't stolen,” he assures.
Doble Valle was founded in 2011. In 2023, it produced 90,000 kilos of figs, of which 75,000 were sold fresh and 15,000 were dehydrated, representing approximately 15% of production. "It's important to note that there is an international market for dehydrated figs in which Chile does not participate. It remains unexplored," asserts Martín Wielandt.
Since commercial production began four years ago, Doble Valle's volumes have doubled. New marketing channels and new business lines have been opened. In addition to fresh figs, there are also dried figs, and, most notably, fig coffee, which has great potential.
Doble Valle is also consolidating its plant production, both for internal growth and for marketing to new producers, with the capacity to produce over 20,000 plants per year. It has sold plants to the third, fourth, and fifth regions: Freirina, Huentelauquén, Santo Domingo, and La Calera.
“Our hope is to popularize fig consumption, transforming it from an exotic fruit into a mass-consumed fruit. We hope to see the number of fig producers grow, and with it, increase their consumption. As for dried figs, we produce Fig Coffee, a very old and popular product in Chilean countryside. This is the typical product with infinite growth potential, due to its rich flavor, its health and naturalness, and also its low marketing costs. The mass adoption of this product represents a tremendous opportunity for food entrepreneurs,” says Wielandt.
Climate change resistant
What has been observed is that plantations with irrigation treatments below normal for a commercial fruit tree have not shown significant differences in fruit yield. Obviously, the specific size of some fruits may be affected; however, overall production is not affected.
“On the contrary, what I've observed in areas of my garden that have received less irrigation is that the trees have produced more fruit. I've also been able to observe, in abandoned country houses, old fig trees that survive year after year without watering, maintaining their productivity,” says Martín Wielandt.
Characteristics
The fig tree blooms twice a year: in December and January it produces brevas (first bloom), and in March, April, and May it produces figs (second bloom). The brevas appear on branches from previous years, while the figs are produced on the current year's twigs. This means that when winter pruning is performed, the brevas incubated on the old branches are discarded or eliminated. Furthermore, removing the old branches rejuvenates the tree and stimulates the sprouting of the current year's twigs, which will be laden with figs.
For this reason, fig trees that are not pruned will be rich in figs. Severe pruning will orient production toward figs. Intermediate pruning, leaving old branches, will produce figs and also produce new shoots from which figs can be harvested.
Figs and brevas are rare, expensive, and in high demand. The current water conditions and favorable Mediterranean climate make the areas between Angol and Arica ideal planting sites. Furthermore, they are fruits with great industrial potential.
Published in Diario Estrategia, Monday, September 4, 2023
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