The thinning of the trees in flower constitutes the first link in a chain that will end in July
The fields of the Vega Alta are already in flower and with this begins one of the most important tasks for stone fruit to be able to compete with quality in European markets. This is thinning, a task in which some 2,000 people are already working on thousands of hectares throughout the region.
Diego Aroca is a farmer from Cieza who has already hired almost 100 people to carry out this work on his land, located in the area of La Serrana. “They organize themselves into gangs and comb hundreds of trees from tahúlla to tahúlla. It is essential that we remove at least half of the flowers”, explains Aroca. He adds that “in this way we ensure that the sap can reach the flowers that we are leaving in greater quantity, ensuring that later, when the fruit begins to form, it has more space to develop and, therefore, be of better quality and can compete better.
Until the first fruits begin to be harvested, it will take about two months. “At the end of April we hope to be able to harvest the first pieces if everything goes as we expect,” explains this producer, who still fears that in the remainder of February and March the dreaded frosts may reappear. “It would be a catastrophe. And not just frost. If a cloud of stone comes to us, we also lose everything.
More than 15,000 workers
Agricultural organizations estimate that, in Vega Alta alone, more than 15,000 people may work in this year’s fruit campaign, including those who are going to be hired in warehouses to proceed with the handling and packaging of the pieces. There are many temporary employment agencies (ETTs) that channel a large number of contracts, although in order to better manage the process, the City Council of Cieza, through the Department of Employment, is going to create a bag to act as a bridge between the ETTs and neighbors who want to work. To do this, those interested should go to the Municipal Farmer’s Office, located in the Municipal Institute of Employment Initiatives.
The mayor of Agriculture, Antonio Moya, explains that “we want to improve the social and labor conditions of the population, ensuring salary increases for unemployed people and a path of protection for the population in an irregular situation. It is also important to maintain an acceptable level of income for those who need it most and at the same time guarantee the normal supply of the markets».