José Manuel Salguero, deputy R&D director at Semillas Fitó, showcased the new facilities to the media
The facilities have been conceived to address three key areas in varietal improvement. 2,000 m2 are devoted to seed development and will allow the breeding of plants with interesting characteristics; another 2,000 m2 are fully isolated and will be used to study the resistance of plants to the most important diseases in the area. Lastly, another 5,000 m2 of greenhouse space will be used to monitor the behaviour of those plants that have shown to be resistant to various diseases and that could provide special or different characteristics to the new varieties that will be launched in the future.
Greenhouse devoted to resistant plants
During the visit, José Manuel Salguero, Deputy R&D Director at Semillas Fitó and head of the company's improvement centre in Santa María del Águila, El Ejido, highlighted the company's commitment to make Almeria its flagship R&D centre in Spain. "In 1990, this centre was opened in El Ejido with just 3 hectares of land, and now, with these new facilities, we already have 12 hectares devoted to the improvement of the seven main horticultural crops grown under plastic (tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, peppers, aubergines, melons and watermelons). It is already Fitó's most important horticultural improvement centre, not just for Almeria, but also for the coast of Granada, Malaga, Murcia or Portugal, as well as the entire Mediterranean, which is one of Fitó's main markets."
Isolated area dedicated to diseases
According to the Fitó manager, "these new facilities, which are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, will further professionalise the varietal improvement processes, shortening the time needed to obtain new commercial varieties and getting more resistant varieties with the characteristics demanded by producers in terms of flavour, colour, size and productivity. Semillas Fitó has always worked side by side with the producers and this new centre is further proof of the enormous weight and importance that Almeria's agricultural producers have for the company."